WARWICKSHIRE have started their season as if wading through treacle, and today's opening match in the Benson and Hedges Cup against Worcestershire at Worcester has ominous undertones.
Tim Munton, the captain and main support bowler to the destructive Allan Donald, has had a recurrence of his back problem and could need surgery.
With Nick Knight still bothered by the knuckle he broke on tour with England, Warwickshire's chances in a tough qualifying group have dimmed as a side strongly fancied in all four county competitions this summer.
In the same group Lancashire and Yorkshire see how much the balance of power across the Pennines has swung, meeting at Old Trafford, the scene of Lancashire's epic one-wicket last-ball victory in last year's semi-finals.
As for the Britannic Assurance Championship, many of the bookmakers' ante-post odds had been knocked sideways by the time rain terminated all contests prematurely on Saturday.
Wide differences in quoted odds pre-season suggested this year's championship race would be wide open - which it is except for the agreed favourites, Warwickshire. And look what happened to them in Cardiff, 4-1 with Tote spared an innings defeat against 20-1 shots.
Even though Warwickshire, Surrey and Essex were valued at an average 5-1, the bookmaking pattern has been confusing.
Corals went out on a limb in quoting Derbyshire a cautious 7-1 when most of their rivals were offering 12-1 or better, and perhaps they were justified.
Chris Adams, with a typically pugnacious century scored from 118 balls at Canterbury, suggested that Derbyshire, last year's runners-up, were more than capable of going one step further.
He was delayed for a few minutes when he edged a delivery into his face and received three stitches on a split eyebrow at the crease. Rain came with Dean Jones on 99 and Derbyshire expecting to win.
Surrey did nothing to justify their position as 9-2 joint-favourites with William Hill - the 9-1 Tote figure could be more realistic - and the bigger bookies disagreed widely in the ante-post middle field.
The notable pre-season differences were for Surrey (9-2 William Hill; 9-1 Tote), Middlesex (6-1 William Hill; 14-1 Tote), Derbyshire (7-1 Corals; 12-1 upwards others), Glamorgan (14-1 Ladbrokes; 20-1 upwards others) and Yorkshire (13-2 Tote; 14-1 Corals).
Hansie Cronje, South Africa's captain, lines up as Ireland's first overseas player against Middlesex in Dublin.
BENSON AND HEDGES CUP ODDS (Ladbrokes): 5-1 Surrey, 7-1 Lancs, 8-1 Warwicks, 9-1 Kent, 10-1 Middx, Essex, Leics; 12-1 bar.