WORCESTER Warriors' fantastic achievement in reaching the European Challenge Cup final has unfortunately been marred by a particularly poor choice of venue for the match.

Tournament organisers European Rugby Cup (ERC) have decided that the final, in which Worcester will take on Bath, will be played at Gloucester's Kingsholm stadium.

In terms of geography, it seems like a good choice. It's a venue that will not present any travelling problems for either set of fans. And that's the problem.

The Warriors attract regular crowds of 10,000. Bath have a similar level of support. Yet Kingsholm has a capacity of 16,500. If this were a normal league game then such a capacity would be more than enough. But it's not. This is the biggest game in Worcester's history with the prize of Heineken Cup qualification at stake.

When corporate hospitality requirements are taken into account, we suspect the number of tickets available may be as little as 6,000 for each club. So what happens to all the other loyal Worcester and Bath fans?

We would like ERC to take another look at this decision. Surely there is another, bigger venue available - particularly as the football season will be over by the time of the final on May 25?

The final has the potential to be a great day out for the supporters of Worcester and Bath and a huge money-spinner for ERC. They should beware of shooting the sport in the foot with such a short-sighted decision.