Kent feeling gloomy as dismal weather strikes at a testing time

These are testing times for the much maligned and put-upon chief executives of our 18 county cricket clubs.

Already tasked with attempting to wrestle a sliver of the UK's dwindling disposable income from our pockets this summer, county chiefs are being forced to compete against the London Olympics, Wimbledon fortnight and Euro 2012 in their efforts to woo the nation's sporting public through the turnstiles at cricket grounds.

The dismal start to the summer weather has not helped matters either and chief executives such as Kent's Jamie Clifford are reporting a 30% drop in attendances on like-for-like figures from last season.

Then, when marquee events in cricket's domestic calendar, such as the 100th Tunbridge Wells Festival Week, start falling foul to the appalling weather, you cannot help but feel a measure of sympathy for Clifford and his 17 counterparts.

"Operationally you have to keep smiling and chivvying people along – 'Tomorrow's another day and all that' – but inside I know that this weather is starting to affect us," said Clifford after another near wash-out in the royal spa town on Thursday.

"We are only two days into a six-day festival, so we might still have some cricket and a little more cause for optimism, but at this point all people's hard work is being washed down the drain and that's disappointing. Such is cricket though and, at some point, you do have to factor in some bad weather – I just hoped I wouldn't be this much.

"We had a chief executives meeting last Friday and I don't think any of us was saying this has been a wonderful start to the season. If I'm honest, we were all pretty gloomy about things.

"Tunbridge Wells generally marks the mid-point to our home fixtures, after this I have Canterbury Week and three other four-day games and that's it. That's when you start to worry: 'Well hang on a minute, where are we going to start clawing things back?'"

Kent start their Friends Life Twenty20 campaign at the Nevill Ground against Sussex on Tuesday, a game that would ordinarily attract a 6,000 sell-out crowd. Clifford has covered his back and the match, in terms of insurance, under the ECB's rain-day policy, but admits the club would still suffer substantial losses should the fixture be washed out.

"There are some big numbers that fall outside of the insurance cover, like beer sales, food, merchandising in the club shop and programme sales," he said.

"Advance ticket sales are looking good and we're on course for a sell out, but if the weather hits us again and we get no cricket, then you only have to add those sums together to know they will have a big impact on us."

There have been only 33.4 overs bowled during the first two days of Kent's four-day clash with Hampshire in Tunbridge Wells. At the mid-point of a rain-ruined game Hampshire have reached 90 for three in their first innings.