Worcestershire County Cricket Club have launched a new gold club crest designed specifically to mark their 150th anniversary year in 2015.
The crest will replace the traditional green and black coloured shield for the next 12 months.
It encapsulates facets of the history of the club since its launch in 1865 and will help to give a specific identity for a landmark year in Worcestershire's proud history.
Players will wear the crest on their shirts for LV = County Championship matches and it will be also be incorporated into replica shirts as part of an exclusive 150th anniversary range of merchandise.
Worcestershire Commercial Director Jon Graham said: "We wanted something the people could identify with. With 2015 being the 150th year of Worcestershire CCC, we needed to create an indentity just for this year.
"It is right we've got a clear identity for the 150 years so people can understand this isn't just another season. It is a big thing for the club and it warrants something from a marketing perspective that we can have as our core identity.
"But what we tried to do with the crest, logo, shield itself was look at the history and not just do a 150 year logo without having any thought or meaning into it.
"Anything you do with a new brand, there has to be a story behind it. Every part of this crest has a meaning."
Graham, a life-long fan of Worcestershire explained: "The 150 year crest is angular. The outline of the crest is exactly the same as the first one in 1865.
"There is a gold brand across the middle of the shield. In 1865 that was a black band. We've introduced the gold colour because it is an anniversary and we wanted to come away from the green and black for this year so it does look a little bit different.
"Over recent years, the black band across the middle of the shield has been split into five lines which reflect the five rivers in the county. We've gone with a thick gold band and put 150 years across the middle of it because people need to know what this is about.
"But we've kept with the three black pears because that has always been our identity going back 150 years.
"Then at the bottom of the crest, we've got that ribbon effect which says 1865-2015 and again that will be in gold."
Graham confirmed: "We will use the shield on the four-day shirt which will be a one-off for 2015 and we will be doing an exclusive 150 year range with our kit provider.
"But we will also do lots of other items such as baseball caps and mugs incorporating the crest."
