THOUSANDS of Lancashire supporters walked on the Old Trafford outfield, and many took home some pieces of turf, courtesy of the club, on the day of the Pro40 match against Middlesex -- cancelled due to overnight rain.

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The fact that Sunday's match had to be cancelled so early illustrated perfectly why £600,000 is to be spent on digging up and relaying the outfield. The fixture was to be the last match played on the historic outfield before the bulldozers rolled in to start work on a new state-of-the-art drainage system.

Over the past 150 years the current outfield has played host to some of cricket’s most memorable moments, and spectators braved some bleak weather to walk on the grass, have photos taken in front of the pavilion and take home some manicured turf, cut for them by Peter Marron and his groundstaff.

Earlier in the day the club’s chaplin Rev Malcolm Lorimer led a special service to pay respect to the hundreds of people who had had their ashes scattered on the Old Trafford outfield. In attendance for this service where former players such as Jack Bond, Sonny Ramadhin, Bob Entwistle, Jack Simmons, Peter Lee, Barry Howard, Peter Greenwood, Geoff Pullar and Mike Beddow.

Work on the new outfield starts on Monday Aug 25 and is expected to take eight weeks to complete. Lancashire's remaining home games are scheduled for Blackpool and Liverpool.

CHARLIE SAYS: The Old Trafford outfield absorbed water like a sponge and it was so slow to drain that many days were called off ridiculously early. It was not just the rainfall that built Manchester's bad weather reputation; it was more the failure to get rid of the water.