I'M WAITING to hear back from the European Court of Human Rights.

I've drafted out a case for unfair regional prejudice under the working title of 'Congratulations Sussex - for being good at weather'.

Sussex yesterday tickled the tummies of Nottinghamshire as they rolled over at an inevitably damp Trent Bridge to the tune of an innings and 245 runs.

It ended the slenderest hopes of underwater dogs Lancashire of clawing back the top prize in domestic cricket for the first time since 1934 - who, in a charming touch afforded by the chuckling weather gods, were able to watch the winning balls while rain spattered The Rose Bowl pitch.

Welcome to cricket. The only sport invented where the actual results are rendered virtually irrelevant by which way the wind is blowing and the type of cloud hanging about overhead.

It just isn't fair. And I'm not even a Lancashire fan.

Thousands of them will be waking up this morning with that horrible sinking feeling they had the day after Man United suffered their infamous treble-miss season.

It's called a bitter aftertaste.

Football matches get postponed from time-to-time but they get replayed. Rugby players really don't care what's going on as long as they can see the four corners of the pitch and there's no imminent risk of drowning.

Cricket, with its tea and cakes and stripy-socked members, gets abandoned.

Okay, so re-scheduling is out of the question but surely there has to be a better solution than a handshake and a shrugged 'oh well chaps, glad I brought the brolly (guffaw)'.

Frank Duckworth and Tony Lewis stepped in to save oneday cricket with a brain-frazzling formula to make life a little bit fairer.

Why can't a version of that be used where a championship game is effectively reduced to one innings? Or how about issuing a fluffy cloud rating with some kind of a lost overs bonus.

Lancashire have lost more than a thousand overs this year. Even at the most tearinducingly boring rates that would still represent a good 2,500 runs.

Maybe it should be settled on games lost. Lancashire have lost one, Sussex two, Hampshire three and Kent four all season. What about batting points? Lancs have 58 to Sussex's 49 and Hampshire's 48. Hampshire take the bowling plaudits with 45 from Sussex (44) and Lancashire and Warwickshire (43).

Hats off to Mushtaq Ahmed for throwing in a 9-48 for Sussex on the last day to make it look good for the cameras.

But Sussex are not the best team in the county championship. One-day kings, sure.

They won the Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy fair and square.

But they're not the best championship side. They're just the best at having nice weather.