The county’s managing director of cricket said that the rain-affected defeat in the opening One-Day Cup match against Kent, followed by the washouts against Lancashire and Nottinghamshire, had given his men no margin for error in their last five group games in the 50-over tournament.

Yorkshire return to action on Sunday following an eight-day gap in the fixture list - in effect a 12-day gap due to the aforesaid washouts - when they face Gough’s former club Essex at Chelmsford.

Yorkshire would dearly love to get their hands on a one-day trophy - they have not done so for 21 years - after their Championship promotion ambitions were wrecked by a 48-point penalty imposed because of the racism saga.

Darren Gough in action for Essex during the T20 semi-final against Leicestershire at Trent Bridge in 2006. Yorkshire visit his former stomping ground of Chelmsford on Sunday. Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images.

“It’s a struggle now because we’ve had three affected games through rain,” said Gough of Yorkshire’s 50-over hopes.

“Let’s be fair, we have to probably win five out of five, so we haven’t got any margin for error.

“It’s difficult to win five on the bounce. It can be done, but it’s difficult, especially if there’s further weather around.”

According to Gough, Yorkshire have lost 30-40 per cent of overs this year due to inclement conditions, including an entire washed-out Championship game against Gloucestershire at Bristol.

The rain has played havoc with Yorkshire's fixtures this season, with the Scarborough groundstaff even resorting to erecting a makeshift washing line in an effort to air towels used to dry the surface at North Marine Road. Sadly, their efforts were in vain as the One-Day Cup match against Lancashire earlier this month was abandoned without a ball being bowled. Picture by Anna Gowthorpe/SWpix.com

As well as damaging their one-day hopes, he believes it has hit them hard in the Championship, potentially preventing them from being right on the coat-tails of leaders Durham before the points sanction.

“The weather has been an absolute joke,” he said. “We’re actually playing good stuff at the minute, and it’s just a shame that we’ve had all the rain.

“I’m really pleased with the way we’re playing, but we can’t do anything about it (the weather).

“I think, before our last Championship match at Scarborough, we’d lost 1,250 overs out of 3,000, or something like that, and that’s just the Championship.

“Durham had lost 400 overs, so to lose almost 1,000 more overs than Durham, it’s mad.”

Gough believes it has cost Yorkshire another four Championship wins.

Their record this year reads one win, two defeats and seven draws.

“The first game of the season, against Leicester, we were winning that game without the rain,” said Gough.

“We didn’t get bowled out in either innings, declared in both innings, and then rain prevented us setting them 480.

“Of course, 380 should have been enough (to defend), and it wasn’t enough, but if they were chasing 480 they had no chance.

“The second game (the Bristol washout) dampened our momentum.

"Rain saved us against Glamorgan, but, other than that, we’d have won four more games in my opinion - the Leicester game, the two games against Sussex and the game at Worcester.”

Yorkshire could just as easily have beaten Kent in their opening One-Day Cup match at Scarborough.

The conclusion had a touch of farce about it, or at least questionable consistency, when the umpires suddenly decided to take the teams off the field when, moments earlier, Yorkshire were ahead of the required rate under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method.

“I’m not there to question the umpires; I never have,” added Gough.

“Things happen in games you’re not always going to agree with.

"It normally works its way out through the season.

“You can easily get emotional if it goes against you, but you wouldn't when it goes for you, so I’m not one to complain.

“It was plain for all to see that it didn’t go for us, that game, and then with the next two being washouts, it makes it hard.”

Now Gough is looking forward to Yorkshire’s visit to his former stomping ground.

He played for Essex from 2004 to 2006 in between his spells at Yorkshire.

“I still have a lot of affection for the club,” he said.

“We had a very successful one-day side when I played at Essex.

"It’s a very strong fortress for the home team, that ground. They play well at Chelmsford. They know the ground inside out. It’s well-supported – small ground, with the supporters right in close.

“They’re a good side, a young side with some experienced heads in, and it will be an interesting game.”

Essex v Yorkshire CCC: The rain on our parade makes it tough to qualify in the One-Day Cup says boss Darren Gough