The weather continued to play havoc with the red-ball format across England and Wales with results unlikely as matches enter their twilight
Canterbury (third day of four): Kent 139 & 24-2 v Somerset 169
Kent's Specsavers County Championship match with leaders Somerset lost another full day to persistent rain in Canterbury where the scheduled third day was ruled out by further heavy showers.
After Monday's first day wash-out, some 22 wickets fell on an action-packed Tuesday that saw Somerset take a slight overall advantage in the game as Kent stumbled to 24 for two in their second innings and an overall match deficit of six runs.
But heavy grey clouds returned to curtain the Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence throughout the third morning depositing constant showers that forced the players to take an early lunch.
With no let-up in the deluge, umpires Martin Saggers and Billy Taylor finally abandoned play for the day at 2.15pm.
Guildford (third day of four): Surrey 313 v Yorkshire 58-1
More heavy rain at Guildford allowed only 27.4 overs to be bowled on day three between Surrey and Yorkshire, a further weather interruption which surely means this Specsavers County Championship Division One match will end in a draw.
The players left the field for bad light ten minutes before the scheduled lunch interval, and never returned as persistent rain set in. Play was officially called off for the day at 3.45pm. Yorkshire, who had taken just 22 minutes to finish off Surrey’s first innings for 313 after they had resumed on 290 for 8, have made 58 for 1 in reply.
Chester-le-Street (third day of four): Durham 253, Northamptonshire 226-6
The umpires made an early decision to abandon play on day three of the Specsavers County Championship Division Two clash between Durham and Northamptonshire at Emirates Riverside.
Heavy rain overnight persisted into the morning, leaving the covers and the outfield drenched. With no sign of the weather clearing for the rest of the day, the decision was made at 12:20pm to cancel play for the rest of Wednesday.
Northants hold a lead of one run over Durham after two days of action, with four wickets remaining in their first innings. Ricardo Vasconcelos and Brett Hutton will continue unbeaten on 105 and 34 respectively when play resumes.
Leicester (third day of four): Leicestershire 36-3, Middlesex
Middlesex picked up three wickets in the 11 overs that were possible on the third day of their match against Leicestershire at Grace Road.
Heavy rain having forced play to be abandoned without a ball being bowled on each of the first two days, there was a certain amount of surprise when, after Herculean efforts by the groundstaff but with the outfield still damp, umpires Steve O'Shaughnessy and Ulhas Gandhe decided it was possible to start play at 3.10pm, with 48 overs to be bowled.
Tim Murtagh and Tom Helm were understandably tentative in their opening overs, but even so the visitors made a quick breakthrough when Leicestershire captain Paul Horton, having squeezed a Murtagh delivery into the leg side, was slow to respond when opening partner Hassan Azad called him through for a quick single. Leicestershire's captain was well short of his ground when George Scott, running in from midwicket, turned and threw down the stumps at the non-striker's end.
Sam Evans, making his first first class appearance of the season, had no answer to a Murtagh delivery that seamed back in to the young right-hander and hit the top of off-stump.
Middlesex then ensured that from their point of view the 11 overs had been worth playing when Helm found the edge of Mark Cosgrove's bat and captain Dawid Malan held a fine catch two-handed high to his right at third slip to secure a bowling bonus point.
Worcester (third day of four): Worcestershire 98 v Lancashire 110-3
Lancashire’s hopes of securing a substantial first innings lead were halted by the weather on day three of their match with Worcestershire despite an unbeaten half century from Liam Livingstone.
The Division Two leaders had to kick their heels in frustration for nearly two days after bowling out Worcestershire for 98 on the opening day.
When the action finally resumed at 2.10pm today, Lancashire recovered from a shaky start to reach 110-3 with Livingstone dominating an unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 78 with Haseeb Hameed.
But bad light halted play just 2.2 overs after tea with Livingstone on 53 and Hameed 22.
Swansea (second day of four): Glamorgan 167-5 v Derbyshire
Derbyshire made a spirited reply to Glamorgan’s first innings score of 394, and at the close of the second day at Swansea had reached 221 for 2 - a deficit of 173.
After losing their first two wickets for 74, their captain Billy Godleman and Middlesex loanee Tom Lace shared an unbroken partnership of 147 for the third wicket though Godleman was dropped by wicketkeeper Cullen on 48. Godleman will resume on 86 and Lace 78.
Arundel (second day of four): Sussex 257-5 v Gloucestershire
Sussex’s Will Beer fell agonisingly short of his maiden first-class century on a rain-ruined second day of their match against Gloucestershire at Arundel.
The makeshift opener, who is playing only his 18th first-class match in his 12th season with the county, was out for 97 as Sussex reached 351 for 8 before the rain arrived. After several inspections umpires Ian Blackwell and Neil Bainton called off play for the day at 4.40pm with only 30 overs bowled.
There was an audible groan from the crowd when Gloucestershire seamer David Payne found some in-swing to knock back Beer’s off stump and end an innings which lasted seven hours and 41 minutes. He faced 336 balls and hit 14 fours.
Courtesy of the ECB reporters network
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