A busy day

By Beefy Roberts
September 2 2015

Beefy gives us detailed coverage of a frustrating day at Edgbaston. We get ball by ball coverage of the work or lack of it in getting the ground ready. Alongside remininscence from a Warwickshire member, a suggestion for the MCC and familiar tannoy woes.  Rain is not being kind to our Championship run in but this is a great alternative report on a cricket free day.

A two hour train tour of the Midlands from Euston brings us to Birmingham New Street; during the adventure DB sent a couple of text giving info.... pitch inspection at 11am,then early lunch at midday.

A bus journey on the 45 was eventful, as Roy and Phil go upstairs, I sit down with an elderly Warwickshire member, who tells me he isn't going today as its his wife's birthday, but will be there tomorrow. He then tells me all about his uncle who played for Aston Villa and Brighton, he was born in 1899 and I can still point him out in a Villa picture, but, he is dead now. He then tells me, this is your stop.... have a good day.

We walk into the members area and as we walk in, there are free score sheets on the table... take note MCC!

We find out that the delay has been caused by a leak by the hover cover on the run up at the pavilion end and there are six industrial heaters working to try and dry the ground out. There are extension cords going from the heaters to plug sockets on the main stand; to be honest, just NOT GOOD ENOUGH for a test ground.

It’s now 12.15 and the PA, who can just be heard in members area, tells us it’s a 13.15 start with 72 overs.

Serious huddle

Teams come out, and our lads are bought into a huddle for what looked like an in-depth team talk, with Gus involved. Meeting over, and Gus is walking around prodding the field with his feet and looking at the outfield.

We are now down to 5 blowers, the not very interested ground staff just sitting on the hover-cover! The umpires are now out and moving blowers to suit themselves... doing the ground staff work? They are using a single stump, maybe checking the softness in ground?

It’s now 12.45 and we learn Middlesex have won the toss and will bat; at last.... action

12.50 and the cover is back on as it's raining; with the hover position we can't work out how it leaked. The big blankets are now being laid, just can't win today.

At the pavilion end, the push me/pull me covers are finally used, and an extra cover is put over the push me/pull me. (Hope you are paying attention to all the covers!) Extra cover and I don't mean fielding position, is now put on the City End.

It stops raining and the extra cover is removed from Pavilion end, with the 5 blowers still underneath, we just hope they were turned off! At 13.55 the super squeezy thing is soaking up the water on covers, and the operator then dumps a full tank back onto the covers, letting the other guys sweep water into a drainage hole, we hope.

To be honest, none of the ground staff are in any rush, and Warwickshire members agree when we mention this. Looks like more rain on the way as the covers return fully. It’s a hard time at cricket sometimes.

Umpires are keen

With more very heavy rain coming down, there are puddles forming and the outlook grim and the rain comes down for a quick burst. Suddenly, it stops, the sun comes out and within 10 minutes the umpires show interest, but with only one member of the groundstaff there isn't much going on. It looks like umpires went to get the staff moving!

The staff are out there, but they look like they have no enthusiasm at all; they slowly mop up and generally just look on a go slow...Would it be different if Warwickshire in the running for the title?

16.10 and the announcement we didn't want...Play called off for the day..............And, as if by magic, the whole groundstaff work like mad to get the work finished.

Lets hope for a better day tomorrow.