Leicestershire

"Dear Member", begins the letter which dropped onto the mat last week. "I felt I ought to write to you given the disappointing season the Club is having..."

Disappointing, yes, well that's one word for it. How else do you describe the first season in the club's history without a Championship victory? I have heard a number of other adjectives used - some of them printable. Any thoughts we might have had of an unlikely last-gasp victory against Hampshire in a contrived run-chase disappeared before a summer start time; 36 for 5, in the tenth over, with a succession of dismissals that belied the term first-class, I'm afraid, accurately encapsulates the season.

It was a poor send-off for Matthew Hoggard, whose first-class career deserved a more thrilling exit. On the plus side, the sun was out, and he was given both standing ovations and a guard of honour to the crease.

Two months left of the season. T20? Out. Championship? Bottom. Star overseas player? Not due until the end of the month. Oh the joy of life as a Leicestershire supporter. Even the rain has given up saving us. A hardened optimist might point out that there have been flashes of competence in the 40-over competition; with a game in hand on two of the teams above us, qualification is still possible. Even if we do go through, it would be in a format that won't exist next year. Those still retaining hopes of the semi-finals should note that the game against the Unicorns, originally scheduled for Thursday August 15, has now been moved to Sunday 18. Post-T20 Finals Day hangovers are now irrelevant.

It would be fairly simple to compare the situations of Lancashire and Leicestershire after the latest Championship defeat and complain that it's the fault of the system, not the county. Lancashire, despite making a financial loss recently, are once again playing host to income-generating Test matches. They can afford to buy Leicestershire's top wicket-taker from the last couple of seasons, Wayne White, and not play him, while including in their side three players who don't qualify for England but can guide young English players; Ashwell Prince, Simon Katich and Andrea Agathangelou.

While most members are prepared to celebrate the fact that we're continuing to promote young Englishmen, rather than the ageing South Africans of a few years ago, the lack of a senior batsman is really beginning to bite. A senior batsman who can (at the risk of sounding Boycottian) occupy the crease, lead by example in building an innings, rather than cracking it to mid-on in the first couple of overs, and encourage loud and clear calling to avoid people being run out by ten yards. The faults just mentioned have been mentioned before; they're not a fault of the system.

There are times at Grace Road when you close your eyes for a moment and it seems as though you're on Craggy Island where someone has unaccountably turned on Test Match Special. Firstly there's the whistling of an Atlantic gale screeching across the ground. Then the conversation of fellow members, which is interspersed at all too regular intervals with Father Jack-style ejaculations or Boycottian "occupy the crease". To make matters worse, just when you've really worked yourself up to have a good rant at the sheer ineptitude of everything, the second innings starts with some measure of competence, lightning flashes over the Butler Stand, and the final result still reads match drawn.

Leicestershire have excelled in striking contrasts recently, the most obvious of which being James Taylor and Will Jefferson batting together. This year's offering is a comparison of the run-ups of the mercifully fit again Nathan Buck and new signing Anthony Ireland. Bucky's run-up is a thing of beauty; even gait and effortless acceleration. Ireland chokes and splutters, trying three different rhythms before arriving at the crease. It's like watching Angus Fraser line up next to Usain Bolt. As they both battled to dismiss Glamorgan, the announcement that Matthew Hoggard had taken eight wickets for the second XI sounded more like a threat than information for spectators. About the best thing that could be said was that we weren't facing Magoffin at Horsham. Ollie Freckingham continues to bowl well with the new ball and deserves to continue his development, so selection from now on will be interesting.

Ramnaresh Sarwan's departure for Cardiff to prepare for the Champions Trophy heralded the advent of Joe Burns, who must wonder what on earth he's got himself into. Some heat from Brisbane would certainly have come in handy for those trying to stave off hypothermia watching the nation's "summer" sport. In every picture of Burns on Cricinfo I can find, he's shown trying to hit the cover off the ball. We shall see how he copes in English conditions in four-day cricket, although no doubt them upstairs will be more concerned with his T20 showing.

Freckingham. If pronounced with the appropriate amount of venom on the first syllable, it makes an excellent imprecation. When asked to lead the Leicestershire bowling attack in his second and third first class matches, this product of England's smallest county makes a competent replacement for more senior injured players.

Fortunate really, as by the fifth day of the season Leicestershire's list of injured bowlers read: Nathan Buck, Alex Wyatt, Anthony Ireland and then Matthew Hoggard, prompting the obvious joke about it being less a bowling attack than a defence. It must be especially frustrating for Hoggard, last spotted terrorising, or possibly being terrorised by, son Ernie outside the boundary ropes.

After a mixed bag of two draws against sides touted for promotion (or 'from the south'; often the same thing, I've found) and two losses, the county now need to take advantage of the fact that their next game is against Worcestershire, also without a win in the Championship. Experience suggests that this will presage defeat, but we can always hope.