ECB insist drainage will work

Eurosport - Fri, 22 May 15:39:00 2009

The England and Wales Cricket Board are confident time lost to wet weather during the Ashes will be kept to a minimum following the Headingley fiasco.

CRICKET 2009 The saturated outfield is seen after heavy rain at Headingley before the abandoning of England's one day international match against West Indies. - 0

Not a single ball was bowled in the NatWest Series opener between England and West Indies at Headingley as the new drainage system failed to cope with heavy rain.

"We have every confidence for the Ashes," Gordon Hollins, the ECB's head of venue partnerships, said. "We have spoken to the experts, July is still some time away and we have no fear that the systems will be working properly at all the grounds at that time."

Like the famous Leeds ground, Cardiff and the Brit Oval have also had new systems put in place over the winter - Lord's already has high-tech drainage - in a bid to increase playing time in the event of wet weather.

Hollins added: "We have to manage people's expectations, I guess: drainage systems won't mean we will never lose play to rain again.

"It just means spectators will be able to see a lot more international cricket going forward because it will help rather than eliminate rained-off games.

"There has never been a rained-off game in history that's done the ECB or cricket in general any good because people want to watch matches.

"But the investment is a long-term one and they will get a lot more cricket for their money.

"Ultimately the public will decide but I am absolutely confident as the summer moves forward we will have an example where we play after heavy rain and they will realise the sense of the investment."

PA Sport

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  1. Once again the spectators lose out whilst the­ adminstrators return to their executive boxes to refill­ their glasses of Pimms.

    From markrose260, on Fri 22 May 4:33PM

  2. Would it be to much to ask ycc to inform the bus­ company operating the park and ride service that the­ match was abandoned. Rather than leaving spectators­ (mostly elderly) waiting over a hour. Or was they to­ busy counting the takings from the overpriced bars and­ restaurants?

    From s953, on Thu 21 May 11:06PM

  3. So the Lords drainage system was just over a million­ and according to Regan "that sort of money just­ does not exist (to put in a proper drainage system at­ Headingly)". But the ECB gave them 600.000 for­ drainage and it is likely today's refund will­ amount to more than the other 400,000. Backward­ accounting eh? Still, nice they DID manage to find £21­ million that did exist in order to build a nice new­ comfy state of the art pavillion for the talking heads­ of the committee and other cobweb covered creatures.­ Bugger the spectators. who cares if the cricket is­ rained off nice and comfy in our lush new pavvie....

    From nocohere, on Thu 21 May 10:08PM
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