If only Brunel had built the SWALEC Stadium...

By James Peacock on Sep 11, 08 11:53 AM in

When it came to county cricket selling its supporters short I thought I had seen it all - but events at the SWALEC Stadium in the past couple of days have surpassed even my low expectations.
At the time of writing it's lunch on day two. The sun is shining. There is no play. This is hardly a surprise.
During the eight hours of bright sunshine on day one not a ball was bowled; the outfield was too wet, according to the umpires.
The question dominating my thoughts is how the pitch remains so wet as to render conditions unplayable.
Somewhere along the line there has been some odd decision-making in the building of this fine stadium, rather cruelly described by one esteemed writer as "resembling a New Zealand outground", a barbed remark in reference to the country's cricket stadiums being purpose built and devoid of atmosphere.
That, however, provides the answer: this ground has been unfit for play, despite perfect cricket weather, because the new stands erected to help secure the venue's Test status have consequently ruined the ground's natural drainage.

The explanation reminded me about a rumour of similarly staggering incompetence circulating Brunel University, where I studied.
The institution is most respected for its sporting and engineering reputations, not surprisingly given its eponymous title.
One doubts whether Isambard Kingdom, however, if asked to design a new sports centre on the campus, would have thought it a good idea to put a swimming pool on the roof, as his disciples did.
The 'design feature' was to make the building the only one of its kind in Europe and promptly failed after the work had been finished and it emerged that the weight of the pool's water had not been written into the equation.
As a result the pool was useless, the university's engineering reputation sullied and the progress of its water polo team greatly hindered.
The moral of the story is simple: do not spend millions on designs that might be affected by high water levels without taking common sense consequences into account.
This brings us neatly on to the SWALEC.
Sophia Gardens, as it used to be known, was one of the best draining grounds in the country.
Now it must be the worst, as events here on the first two days of Worcestershire's county championship match have proved.
It seems that in the unstoppable quest for Test status, two important factors have been ignored: the insipid British weather and the need for natural drainage.
To address the latter, a further £600,000 will be added to the £10million already spent here in the past year.
While this is symbolic of the way money now rules cricket it is, more worryingly, as accurate a reflection as you could find on how the county game is sacrificed for its international distant cousin.