The financial state of English domestic cricket has taken a further blow with Norwich Union ceasing its sponsorship of the one-day league from the end of the coming season.

The insurance company has been title sponsor of the old Sunday League for the last three years but will not renew its contract when it expires.

A company spokeswoman said Norwich Union wished to focus its spending on a single sporting sponsorship, and agreed a new �20m five-year deal in September.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is yet to announce a title sponsor for the County Championship, beginning in April, although it is hopeful of naming a benefactor shortly.

Internet site CricInfo is not expected to renew the one-year deal, believed to be worth �250,000, signed on the eve of last season's opening day.

Test team funded

But ECB chief executive Tim Lamb said he believed that these were still "exciting times for cricket".

"We will soon make a decision on the structure of professional cricket in England and Wales from 2003," Lamb said.

"There exists a tremendous opportunity for new brands to become involved in the nation's number one summer sport."

While the county game struggles to find financial support, the national team is in rude health.

A three-year deal worth �11m with utilities company npower for the sponsorship of home Tests still has two seasons to run.

And telecoms company Vodafone has a �12m deal in place to sponsor overseas tours until the end of the 2005 season.