NewsDigest

Marston's has become the official

beer of England's test match grounds, with a deal to supply its beers. It will have exclusive rights to perimeter branding, boards behind the wicket and poster sites at international fixtures until the end of the 2009 season. A deal worth more than £1m will also see Marston's as new Warwickshire County Cricket Club sponsor. The brewer has become the shirt sponsor for the Bears pre-season tour to Grenada. Meanwhile, a limited- edition Pedigree - featuring cricket whites on white bottles - has been released in time for the Cricket World Cup. The abv has been raised to 6% for the limited-edition ale.

Youngs has de-listed Magners from its estate and replaced it with Bulmers. Retail director Patrick Dardis said: "We did some trials and Bulmers has done very well. And we get a much better price from someone who's prepared to work with us." Dardis also said long spirit drinks such as gin and tonic and rum and cola are making a comeback.

A Sheffield pub has become first in the city to have its licence revoked following a series of violent incidents. Police said 142 of the 201 incidents in Castle Street reported in the past year directly related to the Cannon pub. These included fighting, threatening behaviour and drugs. Cllr Jan Wilson said: "We're disgusted with what has been happening at the Cannon pub."

A sniffer dog is to patrol pubs and clubs in Manchester city centre over the coming weeks. The dog will patrol near premises and identify members of the public carrying drugs. Inspector Asrar Ul-Haq said: "Local licensees are very supportive of such initiatives: they recognise the need to conduct searches to help people stay safe."

Scottish & Newcastle (S&N) has appointed Bridget Macaskill as non-executive director. She is non-executive director of Prudential and of the Federal National Mortgage Association. S&N chairman Sir Brian Stewart said: "Bridget Macaskill brings great retail and consumer marketing experience."