WORCESTERSHIRE will bid farewell to Graeme Hick at the ground he began his Worces-tershire career — Kidderminster.

The weekend floods have left New Road under nine feet of water leaving the County to switch their remaining two home games — both against Middlesex — to Kidderminster Victoria’s Chester Road ground.

But with 42-year-old Hick retiring at the end of the campaign, the Zimbabwe-born batsman will be unable to say a proper goodbye to the ground he spent 25 years at.

“That is the saddest thing about all this,” said Worcester-shire chief executive Mark Newton. “The fact that Graeme can’t say his goodbyes at New Road.

“But there is a certain irony to all this as Graeme started playing cricket in England at Kidderminster.”

Newton has already contacted Kidderminster so that the ground can be ready for Sunday’s NatWest Pro40 match against Middlesex.

The New Road chief says the final Championship game against the Lord’s-based outfit will also be at Chester Road.

Newton believes this flood will cost Worcestershire in the region of tens of thousands of pounds, but feels this will not be detremental to the County remaining at New Road.

“It highlights the fact that we have to get the development of the ground sorted,” he said.

“We need to work harder at getting the development through so we can stay an all-year round business.”

The club managed to salvage all ground equipment and the players’ cars before New Road was submerged.