Washout

The trusty umbrella - a staple ingredient of an English sporting summer - was a must-have at Hampshire's Rose Bowl yesterday as it played host to a one-day game between the West Indies and New Zealand.

But the pouring rain failed to dampen the spirit of a record 9,000 crowd, who had paid more than £200,000 between them to watch the action at the West End venue.

Play had been due to start at 10.45am but was abandoned shortly after 4.30pm because of the constant deluge.

Everyone who had paid to see the action and watch some of the top cricketers in the world - such as West Indies batting sensation Brian Lara - were entitled to a full refund.

That's £200,000 the English Cricket Board, the game's governing body, can ill-afford to lose.

Although Hampshire don't receive any of yesterday's gate money directly, they do get an ECB hand-out at the end of every season - and so indirectly they will feel a financial loss.

But spending a few hours with the corporate hospitality crowd in one of the many sponsorship marquees at the Rose Bowl, you got the impression there were three sets of people at the cricket.

You had the real enthusiasts, those who sat with their umbrellas huddled together under an unforgiving sky as the rain pelted down. This lot really wanted the game to take place, having paid between £14 and £40 for the privilege of watching it.

Then you had the corporate sector - those being wined and dined in comfort. They would have liked to have seen some cricket but it wasn't a nightmare that they didn't.

As for the third sector, I'm sure the kids who queued for autographs weren't disappointed at the lack of on-field action - it gave them more time to get their souvenirs signed.

While those who enjoyed the good life under cover coped quite nicely without any play, they couldn't have coped without something else - alcohol.

When it comes to enjoying oneself at a sporting occasion, the English are still world champions at one thing .....