Cricket fans will see plenty of The Real Shaving Company this summer. The Swallowfield brand is sponsoring Somerset County Cricket Club throughout the NatWest T20 Blast series, which runs until the end of August.

This is the first time the men’s grooming brand’s name and logo will feature on a cricket team’s shirts, and it is also the first major deal of its kind for the Swallowfield Group.

The tie-up signifies the growth in the men’s grooming market as well as Swallowfield’s strategy of expanding its scope and reach by launching and acquiring branded product ranges. It acquired The Real Shaving Co in 2015, as well as launching ‘bagsy’, a range of British cosmetics and handbag essentials, and MR, a specialist men’s hair care range with celebrity hairdresser Jamie Stevens.

The Real Shaving Company has been at the forefront of male grooming since 1953, while Swallowfield has been manufacturing products for 137 years. Milestones in its history include introducing the first consumer aerosol in the 1950s and the UK’s first cosmetic pencil in 1963.

The company is based in Somerset, and group sales and marketing director Jane Fletcher says: “We are very fortunate to be able to manufacture our products in the West Country, where we employ over 400 people, so we are delighted to be able to give a little back by partnering with the South West’s First Class County side.

“The team is greatly supported by many people working here, so there is a real buzz about the opening of the season on May 20th.”

The Somerset team are excited too. Head of commercial operations Jez Curwin said: “The NatWest T20 Blast is exciting, vibrant and fun – and that is exactly what this deal is.”

Eighteen counties will battle it out for the title, which will be decided on Finals Day at Edgbaston on August 30th.