Tracks of my tears

There were a few comments on Sky last night with regard to the wicket at the County Ground. It looked a little patchy, although it seemed to play OK once a batsman got in.

With the square having been turned around, this was always going to be a difficult year for the groundstaff. Last season it was little short of a batting paradise and players from all sides enjoyed the fact that they could play their shots. Although there was a little early help for bowlers, the wickets got easier as games progressed and bowling out sides a second time became increasingly problematic when we got to the later summer months.

This year has been different and a few players have found their batting averages plummeting. The bounce has been variable at times and the wickets quite slow, making them difficult, though far from impossible to bat on. This has meant that results have always been likely in the Championship, while one day games have not seen the expansive stroke play that fans might have hoped for. Certainly they will have been a long way from what Loots Bosman had expected, while Wes Durston, brought up on the flat track at Taunton, wore a bemused look on occasion last night as the ball wasn't there for certain shots.

Such wickets have made our bowling injuries all the more keenly felt, as a full strength side might have taken better advantage. It also makes Chris Rogers current sub-70 average all the more remarkable, as he has needed to work for them this year. A greater difference from the WACA in Perth where he played a lot of his cricket would be hard to find…

No doubt they will bed down over the winter months, but the fact remains that a good track for successful four-day cricket generally produces results, while a good one for one day games allows for extravagant strokes to attract and entertain the crowds. The trick is to be able to offer both, but I'd be surprised if that was feasible. No doubt there will be post-season discussions about the way forward between Messrs Morris and Godrich