DURHAM bowler Steve Harmison, one of England’s Ashes heroes in 2005, scathingly criticised the conditions at May’s Bounty, after a torrential downpour on Wednesday left the ground flooded.

The storm ended play on the second day of the County Championship encounter between Hampshire and Durham and left Harmison fuming.

He said: “I don’t mind festival cricket, but counties are spending fortunes on drainage and trying to get games flowing quickly, and then you come here.

“If you were at the Riverside or the Rose Bowl, this would be gone within two or three hours and we might be playing again by five o’clock. This game might not start again.”

Steve Rayner, chairman of Basingstoke Sports and Social Club, hit back at his accusations and said: “I have been a member of this club for 42 years and I have never seen the ground flooded like it was. I was in one of the marquees and for 40 minutes it was the heaviest rain I have ever seen.

“Maybe the umpires made a decision too quickly to abandon the day’s play, as I think we could have started again at 5 o’clock, but saying that they have never been to May’s Bounty “I know the Rose Bowl had lots of phone calls on Thursday morning after the Harmison article asking if there would be any play and we had a full day.”

The match itself, in which Harmison returned figures of 1-140, ended in a draw after rain also curtailed the final day’s play on Friday, but Rayner, pictured, felt the game had been a success once again for May’s Bounty.

He said: “Hampshire were happy with everything and the wicket was really good. We had a good crowd on Tuesday and Thursday, but the weather did not help us on the other two days.

“The only disappointment was that no Basingstoke businesses backed the event. I know times are tough, but hopefully next year that will change.”

See The Monday Gazette for a full match report of Hampshire against Durham at May’s Bounty.