Who said template shirt designs are dead?
For those of you unfamiliar with the 1997 PONY AXA Life League shirts, it’s time you got to know. Manufactured by PONY, boasting baggy three-quarter-length sleeves, curly collars and all proudly showcasing iconic and local business sponsors - they really don’t make them like this any more.
Credit: Getty Images
The AXA Life League - more commonly known as the Sunday League - was English cricket’s domestic one day tournament that featured all 18 counties in one league table.
The Sunday League format itself dates back to 1969 (as per Cricinfo) and went through multiple iterations, rule changes and sponsorship names - with AXA Equity & Law taking on the naming rights from 1993 (initially called AXA Equity & Law League before changing to AXA Life League in 1997) which coincided with County crickets first coloured kits and use of a white ball following the success of 1992 World Cup.
Back to the shirts though. From 1993, the Sunday League kits were manufactured by Hogger Sports from ‘93 to ‘94, before PONY took on responsibilities from ‘95 to ‘98, and the designs often followed a template across each county - or at least a similar visual identity - with colour palettes and sponsors providing points of difference.
Over the years we’ve been collecting and curating the complete '97 collection before dropping them on our site to find new homes - here is the full 18-County offering…
Like what you see? Shop 1990’s County classics on our store here.
