WITH rain having washed out last Sunday's match with Sussex, this has been a blank week for Worcestershire until yesterday's crucial table-topper with Somerset.

This is a competition which the County still have within their own power to win, though with their last one day victory two months ago, they cannot be said to be on top of their game.

Dare I hope for a win without Hick and McGrath? It would be a great tonic for life is not set to become easier in the immediate future.

Warwickshire's win in the NatWest Trophy semi-final has had the added bonus for them of ensuring that they face Worcestershire this week without McGrath as the four-day game will be moved earlier to give the Bears a day off before the final.

The County's enterprising efforts to employ Reuben Spiring's helicopter skills to fly McGrath back from Heathrow in time for the scheduled Tuesday start are therefore made redundant.

Perhaps this saves Glenn from an awkward decision. The last Worcestershire player qualified to fly a helicopter was one IT Botham. His offers of a 'lift' were strangely never accepted!

At least there is now a chance that Hick could return following England's two-day win in the Headingley Test but they must do without Kabir Ali, on duty with the England u19 team. Surely Worcestershire are due a large slice of good fortune soon.

The England management's decision to withdraw players from domestic cricket after September 5 is a bold decision and should prepare counties for a not-too-distant time when contacted players will not be available at all.

However, events this year have highlighted the difficulties of nominating a contracted squad at the beginning of a season. It is too easy in a home series to revert to alternative or form players and thereby undermine the testament of faith which a contract should represent.

Trescothick and Cork have proved successful and the selectors need congratulating on that.

Others have suffered, among them our own Graeme Hick, with the Press seemingly intent on making him the Sinatra of international cricket -- though they seem to applaud the leavings rather than the comebacks.

I would love nothing more than for him to entertain the Headingley crowd to his confident best batting.Contracts should have affirmed that confidence, but having been left out once more at Old Trafford, it might be more anger than confidence, which fuels him.

So there remains much to play for both on the international and domestic fronts.

I look forward to the test match, Warwickshire's visit to New Road and, particularly, a trip to Lord's, courtesy of NatWest, to watch the last final sponsored by them.

I represent that bit of history which was Worcestershire's winning of the NatWest in 1994: I wonder whether I will witness another bit of history and see the last NatWest final won by a team who had lost in an earlier round!