Derby suffers first complete washout since 1981: Weather Hinders At Old Trafford
The much-anticipated Vitality County Championship match between Derbyshire and Gloucestershire ended in disappointment as no play was possible across four days.
With not a single ball being bowled, Derbyshire’s Vitality County Championship match against Gloucestershire was called off, capping the start of a new season marked by disappointment and anticlimax.
Rainfall for weeks prior to the game and additional inclement weather during the four days rendered the outfield of County Ground soaked and unsuitable for first-class cricket. After an inspection at 9.45 a.m. on Monday morning, umpires Ian Blackwell and Neil Pratt decided to call off the game due to further rain on Sunday night.
This is the first time since the match against Nottinghamshire washed out in May 1981 that a County Championship game at Derby has been called off without a ball being bowled.
Both teams finished with eight points and will now hope for better weather for their next games, which are on Friday in Derbyshire’s Cardiff match against Glamorgan and on Saturday in Gloucestershire’s Bristol match against Yorkshire.
Mickey Arthur, the head of cricket at Derbyshire, said: “It’s really annoying. It’s really discouraging when we work so hard at the beginning of the season and then nothing happens. The past four days have been extremely frustrating in every way. However, we kind of thought going into the game that anyone could go out there and think they might not get along with someone without having to be a rocket scientist.
“We’re going to train right now to give the bowlers some quality time and another period. We need the hitters to test their defense outside after they have hit so many balls indoors over the past several days, so we will do that and provide them with an excellent training session.
“We’ll have a day off tomorrow, the boys need to mentally refresh, then come in Wednesday and we’ll train again and then we will be ready to go down at Cardiff”
“I was only saying to the players today that you normally play all these games in your heads and talk about outcomes and things that might and might not happen but I must admit not playing four days wasn’t on my radar,” said Mark Alleyne, the head coach of Gloucestershire.
“It’s very frustrating that we weren’t able to get out there because I never fully processed that one. Even though it is upsetting, we know that it is a normal part of the English season, so we won’t let it stop us from moving forward and preparing for the next challenge.
“The benefits of not playing are few and far between. I think the players’ ability to keep up such a positive mindset and good work ethic over the four days we weren’t playing is really impressive.
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Weather Hinders Surrey-Lancashire Clash at Old Trafford
The ongoing Vitality County Championship encounter between Lancashire and Surrey faced significant disruptions due to adverse weather conditions, resulting in limited play at Emirates Old Trafford.
In their first innings, Surrey reached 15 without loss before rain forced a 1.10pm break for lunch. Though there was no rain pouring when the game was scheduled to resume, safety worries about strong winds prohibited the removal of the covers, which had been placed over the entire square and bowlers’ run-ups in anticipation of heavy showers during the interval.
It was assumed that the lack of movement with the covers had confused Surrey. During this time, head coach Gareth Batty strolled out to the middle, evidently annoyed that the reigning champions, who had just destroyed Lancashire for 202 in 73 overs on Friday, were unable to capitalize on their success. At 2:30 p.m., the anticipated rain finally arrived. Eventually, following a 4 p.m. inspection, play was abandoned.
Old Trafford head grounds manager Matt Merchant’s argument that taking down the covers would have been risky given the weather was supported by the home team’s safety officer and was upheld by ECB match referee Mike Smith.
“After lunch, when it was dry, the head grounds manager, Matt Merchant, said that it was so windy that it would put the health and safety of his staff at risk to ask his staff to remove the covers,” Smith added. “We didn’t want anyone to get injured—not by getting slapped by the flat sheets in that wind, or by being carried into the air.
“That was a sensible position, according to Lancashire’s safety officer, but we did mention that the flat sheets should be taken down if the wind decreased to a manageable level. But before we could reach that point, the rain came again and stopped the play for the remainder of the day.
“I have never encountered a circumstance like this. However, I believe that Gary Barwell, the chief groundsman at Edgbaston, stated he would not be asking his crew to put the flat sheets on in that wind, thus they were not going to be used. Furthermore, moving extremely heavy, flat sheets in such a wind is perilous.”
The match is now expected to turn into a race for first-innings bonus points as Surrey’s hitters construct a reply to Lancashire’s first innings, should the weather permit any cricket to be played on the final day. Rory Burns, the captain of Surrey, is unbeaten on five, while Dom Sibley is now at six not out.
