Derided out of ignorance by those who do not actually watch it, the championship will probably be without a sponsor next season, a transitional year, although Terry Blake, the ECB's marketing chief, says he is ``still hopeful, especially if the new television contract offers some championship coverage''.
The 15th and last Britannic Assurance Championship has remained intriguing to the end. It will reward Leicestershire, Surrey or Lancashire with £100,000, the biggest first prize yet, some time this weekend. Lanashire's hope is that the two pacemakers will cancel one another out at the Oval over the next four days. By beating Hampshire at Old Trafford they could win their first outright title since 1934 and achieve a treble which seemed unrepeatable when Warwickshire won three of the four county competitions four years ago.
Thorpe returns after the disc trouble which required surgery two months ago. The impetus this will give to Surrey, along with home advantage, should go a long way towards compensating for the loss of Saqlain Mushtaq to a competition which is as obscure as it sounds, the Sahara Cup in Toronto.
Alec Stewart keeps wicket to accommodate his Test colleague, meaning no place for Jeremy Batty and a final choice this morning between Ian Ward, Nadeem Shahid and the young left-arm spinner, Rupesh Amin. Surrey, nine points behind Leicestershire, simply have to win if they are to take the title for the first time since Stewart's father, Micky, was captain in 1971.
Leicestershire will make a final careful reading of the pitch before deciding whether to play two of the three spinners in their party of 14: Matthew Brimson, Carl Crowe and Tim Mason have all travelled to London, along with Jimmy Ormond, but Brimson for David Millns is the only likely change from the XI which steamrollered Essex last week. It is a curious twist that Leicestershire lost only one match in their championship years of 1975 and 1996, both to Surrey at the Oval. They cannot repeat that and win it this time.
In a way both these sides deserve to win the championship, Surrey because they have led for 15 rounds of matches despite more Test calls than anyone; Leicestershire because they continue to show what team spirit and organisation plus the right attitude can achieve.
Lancashire should win even against a Hampshire side which has recovered under Robin Smith after a bad start. Atherton and England's selectors will hope he plays, but Mark Chilton has proved a capable deputy. Peter Hartley is unfit because of a knee injury and Derek Kenway should play.
If all three leaders somehow fail to get a point, Yorkshire could theoretically win by earning 24 points. Their more realistic aim is a share of the prize money - £45,000 for second place, £22,000 for third, £15,000 for fourth - perhaps at the expense of Gloucestershire, who should win away to a Nottinghamshire side in turmoil, especially as Courtney Walsh needs three wickets to pass 100 for only the second time.
For Sussex, Yorkshire's opponents at Hove, James Kirtley and Robin Martin-Jenkins, who has a side injury but plays as a batsman, signed new three-year contracts yesterday and Jason Lewry is fit again.
Warwickshire and Kent are on the cusp of the top eight but Warwickshire may be without Brian Lara because of a sore knee. Alan Igglesden announced his retirement yesterday as Paul Millman was named as Kent's new chief executive.
Mike Gatting and Keith Brown play their final games for Middlesex. Brown is captain because Mark Ramprakash has had his tonsils out.