Bad weather now influencing Championship positions

By Andrew Hignell

The prolonged bad weather that has afflicted the start of the season is now beginning to have a clear influence on where each of the 18 first-class counties lie in the LV= County Championship tables.

With just under a third of the Championship programme having been completed, half of the counties have lost more than a third of their potential playing time – Somerset, Surrey, Worcestershire and Durham in Division One, and Essex, Hampshire, Northants, Leicestershire and Glamorgan in Division Two. (Please see figures below)

Indeed, the pattern of time lost so far in the 2012 season is clearly linked to each club’s current position in each of the divisional tables. The five counties in Division Two who have lost over a third of potential playing time all occupy the bottom five places in the table, while in Division One, Nottinghamshire – who have lost least playing time overall this summer - occupy top spot, and Durham – who have lost most time overall – are at the bottom of the table.

Nottinghamshire have now completed exactly a third of their Championship programme so far, with victories over Worcestershire, Durham and Lancashire, and no doubt all concerned at Trent Bridge will be hoping that the weather gods will continue to look favourably open them for the rest of the season.

Here below is the county-by county tale of woe, as at May 14 – with teams ordered by position in the LV=CC tables:

Division One - % of playing time lost

Nottinghamshire         19.79
Warwickshire             22.13
Middlesex                   28.54
Somerset                   37.08
Surrey                       36.46
Sussex                      32.29
Worcestershire          35.63
Lancashire                31.67
Durham                      45.00  

Division Two - % of playing time lost

Yorkshire                   29.17
Derbyshire                 22.17
Kent                           28.54
Gloucestershire         32.12
Essex                        44.38
Hampshire                 40.00
Northamptonshire      33.13
Leicestershire           33.96
Glamorgan                 39.17


Date: 14/05/2012 18:58:50 by Andrew Hignell
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