Silverware in September was determined at grounds only 30 miles apart by clubs who operate in the same sporting system but in a different financial universe. At New Road, Worcester, the championship returned to mighty Surrey for the first time in a generation. At Edgbaston, last Saturday, Worcestershire won their first one-day trophy for more than a decade. Two clubs, two triumphs, but, potentially, two very different futures.

On the face of it there were similarities to be gleaned from the rejuvenation of both clubs. On the podium, Moeen Ali, the captain of Worcestershire, was quick to remember the contribution of Steve Rhodes, the former Worcestershire coach who is now in charge of Bangladesh, and who was the architect of a youth policy that had