WARWICKSHIRE were left counting the cost as their home T20 game with Worcestershire was rained off on Friday night.

After a commendably proactive ticket giveaway met a great response, the Bears expected a 25,000 crowd for the derby – and a bumper payday at the bars.

That payday never materialised after heavy showers left the Edgbaston ground drenched. Despite the best efforts of the grounds staff, every time there was hope of getting some play, another serious dousing arrived.

But while the blow for Warwickshire’s bean-counters was minimised as the club had taken out insurance against loss of bar-takings in that manner, the abandonment did no favours to the team.

The Bears were deprived of a chance to bounce back from the heavy defeat in their opening group game at Somerset last Wednesday.

After two of ten group matches, Warwickshire have just one point so Varun Chopra’s side needs to hit the winning trail on Sunday when, weather permitting, they will face Glamorgan in Cardiff.

Given a bit of sunshine, that match will be quite an occasion with a record-breaking crowd of around 13,000 expected at Sophia Gardens.

A ticket offer by Glamorgan has left them confident their previous record attendance – 9,300 – for a domestic match will be beaten.

The Bears will be looking to maintain an excellent record at Cardiff where they have lost only once in the T20, back in 2004 when their quarter-final hoodoo kicked in.

Their visits in 2006 and 2008 were abandoned, a trend both sides will hope does not continue; tomorrow Glamorgan for financial reasons and the Bears because they need to kick-start their T20 campaign.

Chopra, who was due to lead the team again last night in the absence of the injured Jim Troughton, is aiming for a win before the Bears return to Edgbaston against Northamptonshire on Tuesday.

* All spectators with a tickets from Friday night’s Edgbaston washout can use them to gain entry to any of the Bears' remaining home group T20 games.