The rumbles of thunder that swept over the County Ground at Hove on Monday night were drowned by the growls from members about the weather ruining another day/night fixture.

It certainly was ironic, after the beautiful weather we have enjoyed in the last few weeks, that it should rain so heavily and wash out what promised to be an exciting game of cricket.

I thought it was dangerous to be so smug that we had missed all the rain sweeping across the county last week. Two torrential downpours were all it took to ruin a perfectly good evening.

It was desperately disappointing for all concerned. For the players it is depressing because we are unable to go out and perform our jobs.

We all have targets to reach before the end of season, both for individuals and for the team, and a cancelled match does nothing to help us reach our goals.

But it is the players whom I feel least sorry for. They know that there is another game around the corner. The administrators at the club all work tirelessly so that the games run as smoothly as possible.

All their hard work is wasted when a game gets rained off.

But it is the paying public for whom I reserve the most sympathy.

For some spectators may only get a chance to watch a few games of cricket throughout the summer.

Sure, they will get their money refunded but that will be little consolation. A friend of mine came down from London on Monday night, full of excitement at watching a floodlit game for the first time. The look of disappointment on his face when the umpires called the game off was tangible.

Sussex supporters please do not despair, however. I've come across some information that proves Sussex is the best county in England in which to watch cricket.

Not long ago, Wisden Cricket Monthly produced a table that displayed how many hours each county had lost to rain at home in the championship in the last three years. Hove, you'll be glad to hear, at 79.5 hours, had lost the fewest amount of hours by some margin.

The next lowest, Northamptonshire, had lost 21 more hours than us. The rest of the table makes for some interesting and surprising examination.

All of the counties in the south east of the country are in the bottom half of the table, as you'd expect.

Most people might assume that Lancashire, Yorkshire and Durham would have lost the most time. It is grim up north after all. But no. Lancashire are seventh, Durham 11th and Yorkshire comes a lowly 13th out of 18. Who leads the table? Somerset.

Where the sun ripens the apples that makes the cider. Except in the last three years when Taunton has lost 189 hours to rain. That is 109.5 more hours than at Hove which works out at about 37 hours per year. That is over five and a half days.

Just imagine sitting in the deckchairs at the top of the ground with an umbrella watching the rain fall for five and a half days and then think how lucky you are to support Sussex; beautifully sunny Sussex by the sea!

Thursday August 8