The Hampshire members have voted in favour of turning the club into a limited company.

Although PLC's are commonplace in football, it is thought to be the first time any cricket club has taken such a step.

It could also lead to other counties following a similar path.

The decision to support the plan, put forward by chairman Rod Bransgrove, was taken at an extraordinary general meeting.

"It's a big step and over the next week or two, we'll be making sure that all the other arrangements, with tax advisors, Sport England and others, are concluded satisfactorily," Bransgrove explained.

"It's a complex structure at Hampshire County Cricket Club, which has evolved over many, many years.

"We need to make sure we unravel this and restructure it in a way which doesn't prejudice the company's tax position and any individual's financial position."

Hampshire are now based at their new Rose Bowl ground on the outskirts of Southampton, having left their former Northlands Road home at the end of last season after 116 years.

The club is still �10m short of the funding required to complete the Rose Bowl, but Bransgrove believes it will eventually become one of the best cricket venues in the world.

There is a positive mood on the field as well, with Hampshire currently top of Championship Division Two.

A brand new committee to oversee the running of the club as a PLC will be taken at next year's annual general meeting.

Other counties may follow

Bransgrove, meanwhile, is encouraging members and supporters to take the opportunity to buy a financial stake when the club is ready to issue shares.

"It's a little bit difficult at the moment because the documentation one has to produce to encourage investment is very carefully policed - and that takes an enormous amount of legal and financial advice, which is very expensive.

"At this stage we want to try and get the company up and running in as inexpensive manner as possible, but nonetheless, the slightly longer term objective will be to list the business on the Alternative Investment Market.

"At that stage, certainly, members will be able to participate."

Bransgrove believes other counties are keeping an eye on developments and will eventually follow Hampshire's lead.

Gloucestershire commercial manager Mark Kirton confirmed that they would be interested observers.

"We might look to move to a new ground in order to develop the club - we cannot do that at our current venue.

"We do not own our ground, but are negotiating about buying it back. When we've done that, we'll look at other options," he told BBC Sport Online.

Kirton's personal view, however, is that Gloucestershire should look to "take cricket to a new level" by building an indoor stadium.

It would then give them the option of looking to stage Tests and one-day matches outstide the normal English season.

Hampshire's decision may have sparked a whole new way of thinking about the way the game is run - and played.