Rain the spoiler again

Only 26 overs were possible on day one of Surrey's match with Worcestershire, but that won't stop me from having my say.

Chris Adams, channelling the Surrey Cricket Blog, picked exactly the team I predicted. George Edwards made his Championship debut and Kevin Pietersen made his first appearance since last May. Jason Roy and Chris Jordan were the men who had to sit out, but I'm sure the former will be back in the side for the very next game.

Conditions were described as "dry and bright" by Surrey's own Mark Church, but Worcestershire's decision to bat first on winning the toss was still something of a surprise. Half the ground was under water but a few days ago and the clouds seemed almost guaranteed to roll in before long.

However, captain Daryl Mitchell was proved right as he and opening partner Michael Klinger made it to a rain-enforced early lunch with 58 runs on the board and no batsmen back in the hutch. It was far from easy going though thanks to a slow pitch and good spells of bowling from Edwards and Lewis in particular. It is encouraging that Edwards, whose main weapon is pace was also able to restrict the opposition and his radar remained intact.

All the bowlers went at significantly less than three runs an over and the slow nature of the pitch, combined with the rain (which meant the players never returned from their early lunch) make a result in this game look a million miles away.

The weather forecast for tomorrow is ever-so-slightly better than today and provided there is no heavy overnight rain there should be a fair amount of cricket played. With so few results around the county circuit at the moment first innings bonus points are at a premium so Surrey's bowlers will be on the hunt in the morning.