LIKE any successful club, Surrey have been regarded with a mixture of awe and envy by other counties in recent years, never more so than when they announced a sponsorship deal worth £1.5 million earlier this week. They may have surrendered their county championship title to Sussex last season, but the three-year agreement with Brit Insurance Holdings, in which their headquarters will be renamed the Brit Oval, should keep them ahead of their rivals in financial terms. It is, according to Paul Sheldon, the chief executive, the biggest of its kind in cricket.

This will be the third sponsorship deal in which Surrey have sold the naming rights to their famous ground. They were rescued from the verge of bankruptcy in 1988, when the ground was renamed the Foster’s Oval. In 2000, it became the AMP Oval and now Brit Insurance have paid a third more than their predecessors to have their name attached.

These deals have provided the ballast behind Surrey’s rise to become the most successful team in the country, winning eight trophies in as many seasons, yet no other county has been able to follow their lead.

Gloucestershire’s Bristol headquarters is known as the Royal & Sun Alliance County Ground, but this is because the company owns the ground. For four years in the 1990s, Yorkshire played their home games at Bass Headingley, but that sponsorship was driven by the rugby league club.

“It is surprising that no other counties have gone down this route because ground sponsorships have contributed significantly to our success on the field,” Sheldon said. “The fact that we’ve attracted someone new proves it’s working. But I can’t stress enough the importance of our location. Not only are we in London, but we’re close to the City, which helps us to attract corporate business. ”

Surrey also have the attraction of international cricket, a crucial factor for potential sponsors, as Durham have discovered. “We only have a Test match every other year and, without a more consistent programme of international cricket, we’re not really in a position to attract major deals,” Gordon Hollins, the Durham marketing manager, said. “Every county would love a ground sponsor, but international cricket is the draw. If we get a Test every year, I’d be very confident that we’d attract a ground sponsor. The Riverside name would fit well with the right company title.”

The name, it seems, has to sound right to catch on. Surrey have been frustrated by a reluctance to accept the rebranding of their ground for sentimental or historical reasons. Other counties, such as Nottinghamshire, are sensitive that any potential ground sponsor should not detract from the marketing potential of their ground’s history. “It would have to be the right partner for Trent Bridge,” David Collier, the Nottinghamshire chief executive, said. “The sponsor would have to fit the club’s culture.”

There are few examples in Britain of the naming rights of existing venues — as opposed to new stadiums — being sold, in contrast with the United States. When Adams Park, home of Wycombe Wanderers and London Wasps, was renamed the Causeway Stadium in conjunction with a local firm, there was disquiet among supporters.

Sussex caused a surprise by hauling Surrey back last season but the fear is that, with their enhanced financial muscle, they could soon break free of the pack again.