EDGBASTON’S brand new Pavilion End won rave reviews when it hosted its first big match – the recent Test against India.

England’s team baptised the ‘Master Plan’ development by crushing India to seal No.1 spot in the world rankings.

Crowds were big, the final-day atmosphere, with the Hollies Stand in full voice, was memorable and the view from – and facilities in – the new £32 million edifice won high praise.

All groovy at the Pavilion End then. But Stud Marks must report an outbreak of silliness at t’other end of the famous old stadium.

Since the dawn of cricket – longer, even – bowlers toiling away towards the pavilion at Edgbaston have done so from the City End. The City End is embedded deep in Edgbaston’s DNA.

But it has been tampered with. P.A. announcements suddenly started referring to the ‘Birmingham End’. This follows a link-up with visitbirmingham.com, whose ad hoardings now adorn that end of the arena.

Now Stud Marks would never denigrate any effort to attract visitors to Birmingham and boost business for our traders. But what possible difference is calling that end the Birmingham End going to make? Most people watching a match at Edgbaston, one imagines, are not under the impression that they are in Liverpool, Exeter or Hemel Hempstead. Much has changed at Edgbaston in the last year and much of it good. But this is just fatuous.

If the two ends of Warwickshire’s home must be renamed then why not after the two Bears who have helped power England to No.1 in the world: The Trott End and the... ah, perhaps not...

Studmarks is a weekly sideways look at sport in the Midlands which appears in the Birmingham Mail every Monday