Monday 20 June 2011

The Rose Bowl: Good wicket, no people

The first ever Test match at The Rose Bowl has ended in a draw. There was some trepidation about the wicket but that was unfounded. Indeed it was a really good Test wicket. Maybe it could have worn a bit more but the weather played its part there. However, there is a big problem: the crowd. Specifically, there wasn’t one. Given that this was the first, and much anticipated, Test in that part of world I expected a full house every day. Ticket prices for Test matches in England are very high – ridiculously so really. However, admission for the last day was £10 and the ground was pretty empty. I don’t know what the official attendance was for the last day but there were stands with much less than fifty percent occupancy. If Hampshire cannot fill their ground there are plenty of other grounds that can.