Statistics reveal huge extent of county rain disruption

By Andrew Hignell

The 2012 season could prove to be one of the dampest of recent times if the level of weather disruption experienced across the country during the past few days continues when the LV=County Championship resumes in mid-July after the zonal rounds of the Friends Life t20 competition.

Significant amounts of disruption have taken place to the latest round of Championship matches, and the net result, as the table below shows, is that EVERY county except for Middlesex and Nottinghamshire have already - in just half the season - surpassed the total amount of time lost in the entire season last year.


Number of hours lost to the weather in LVCC games the first half of 2012:
    
Derbyshire             43.50
Durham                   71.25
Essex                     71.75
Glamorgan              59.75
Gloucestershire      46.25
Hampshire               67.75
Kent                        48.50
Lancashire              60.75
Leicestershire         60.50
Middlesex                45.50
Northamptonshire    61.75
Nottinghamshire      40.50
Somerset                 61.75
Surrey                     52.25
Sussex                    45.25
Warwickshire          35.50
Worcestershire       55.00
Yorkshire                 69.25


Number of hours lost to the weather in all LVCC games in 2011:

Derbyshire              37.75
Durham                   41.75
Essex                     35.75
Glamorgan              33.35
Gloucestershire      35.00
Hampshire              46.25
Kent                        23.00
Lancashire             15.25
Leicestershire        20.50
Middlesex               51.25
Northamptonshire   26.50
Nottinghamshire      44.25
Somerset                31.75
Surrey                    21.75
Sussex                   12.50
Warwickshire         21.75
Worcestershire      24.25
Yorkshire               32.25


In recent years, the wettest summer was 2007 when Worcestershire lost a total of 124.25 hours of play in four-day cricket with their headquarters at New Road flooded for several weeks and matches being transferred to other grounds within the county as well as at “neutral” venues in other counties. During the season, Worcestershire lost a total of thirteen entire days when not a single ball was bowled, while Leicestershire, Lancashire and Glamorgan all suffered 10 complete washouts.

Worcestershire’s total was certainly a freak high, and as the list below shows, there have been a dozen occasions during the past fifteen years when counties have lost over 100 hours play in Championship cricket


124.25    Worcestershire    2007
105.75    Hampshire            2007
105.25    Glamorgan            2008
104.75    Leicestershire      2004
104.25    Leicestershire      2007
104    Yorkshire                   2004
103.5    Glamorgan              2001
    Derbyshire                      2004
103    Derbyshire                2000
102.75    Somerset             2000
102.50    Surrey                 2008
101.50    Warwickshire      2000
100.25    Lancashire          2001


However, with sizeable amounts of play already lost in 2012, it looks as if this list could be significantly added to by September if the inclement weather continues and there are further oscillations to the jet streams causing a series of rain-bearing depressions to cross the country. As the table below shows, five counties – Durham, Essex, Hampshire, Northants and Yorkshire - have already, in just half a season, surpassed their average annual amount of weather disruption during the past fifteen years.

Average number of hours lost to the weather in LVCC games 1997-2011:
    
Derbyshire                      65.80
Durham                           63.43
Essex                             52.27
Glamorgan                      68.38
Gloucestershire              63.76
Hampshire                       64.88
Kent                                 57.18
Lancashire                      75.53
Leicestershire                 70.05
Middlesex                        57.52
Northamptonshire            58.33
Nottinghamshire               66.68
Somerset                         65.29
Surrey                             62.36
Sussex                           50.39
Warwickshire                 64.21
Worcestershire               68.09
Yorkshire                        61.73




Date: 10/06/2012 13:20:00 by Andrew Hignell
In: Yorkshire | Worcestershire | Warwickshire | Today | Sussex | Surrey | Somerset | Nottinghamshire | Northamptonshire | Middlesex | Leicestershire | Lancashire | Kent | Hampshire | Gloucestershire | Glamorgan | Essex | Durham | Derbyshire |