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Brighter outlook offers hope
May 3 2003
By Ged Scott, Birmingham Post
Third day: No play - rain: Northamptonshire (196 for three) trail Worcestershire (236) by 40 runs
Worcestershire ought to be inspired into following the positive lead set by Warwickshire and Essex last Saturday if an improved weather forecast allows play at New Road today.
Yesterday's complete wash-out, following on from a much-truncated day on Thursday when only two hours' play were possible, has left today's fourth and final day of their County Championship game with Northamptonshire heading for a likely draw.
After heavy overnight rain, too much of the outfield was left saturated, and the only surprise was that it took until 2.45 before the decision was taken to call off play for the day. Today's weather out-look is a bit brighter, and, in the wake of the exciting tie engineered by some forward-thinking captaincy from Ashley Giles and Ronnie Irani, the state of this game could yet be turned into something a little more meaningful than a boring draw.
So much, of course, depends on the meteorological outlook which, so far, has not exactly blessed the seven days of Championship cricket played at New Road so far this season.
Six of those days have been affected by the weather, to the extent that, of the £8,879 Worcestershire have so far banked in takings, 65 per cent of the total was taken in one day (£5,733). That was when a bumper Good Friday crowd of 2,786 turned up for the first day of the season.
Although the county play Surrey at home in the National League on Sunday, and then take on the Zimbabwean tourists next weekend, there is not another Championship fixture at New Road until May 21 when they will be hoping for a brighter outlook for the visit of Phil Weston and Gloucestershire.
