Lack of drainage frustrates Somerset

Somerset 20 for 2 v Nottinghamshire
Scorecard

Somerset are at a serious disadvantage by comparison to the category A grounds in England on account of not having been given a grant by the ECB for a new drainage system at Taunton, according to their director of cricket, Brian Rose. "This is starting to affect the outcome of the County Championship," he said. "And we have the second highest amount of rainfall in the country after Lancashire."

Rose could do nothing about the persistent drizzle which washed out the second day's play and all but eight overs on Wednesday. On almost any other ground, though, there would have been considerably more cricket, but the somewhat muddy outfield was still too slippery when the 4pm inspection took place. "I have personally apologised to our opponents this season for the state of it," said Rose. "Category A grounds would be able to restart far more quickly than us.

"I am bitterly disappointed that we have suffered the same rain-affected days that affected our chances of winning the championship last year. We have an excellent groundsman in Simon Lee but the drainage system we are using is 120 years old and the outfield has not recovered from the renovations of last October, when the seed did not take hold.

"We then went into an ice age in Taunton during December and January, followed by a drought in February, March and April. So we were back to where we were when we started. I was seriously worried at the end of May this year that we would be playing on sand. The day after the season starts we shall try all over again, which will cost us a further £16,000-20,000. New drainage would amount to £500,000, which we do not have," said Rose.

He contrasts the situation at the County Ground with that at Bristol, where neighbours Gloucestershire - a second division club - have successfully installed drainage. Although this resulted in brown marks across the outfield that were still visible in the spring, these have now disappeared. Will the ECB and former Somerset chairman Giles Clarke look favourably on Taunton? "It goes hand in hand with our redevelopment," reckons Rose.

"Every hour of play we lose is vital, especially at this stage of the season. We are now down to a two-day match against Nottinghamshire, but then matches in Somerset have been completed in a day, as anyone who saw Bertie Buse's benefit match in Bath will remember."

Marcus Trescothick, the Somerset captain, opined in his local newspaper column today that only Andrew Flintoff of the 2005 Ashes-winning side that he played in would have made a significant difference to Andrew Strauss' all-conquering X1 of today. Trescothick, who would still be playing international cricket but for his stress-related illness, modestly did not mention himself.