Soaking rain nips things in bud at Roses match
Heavy overnight and morning rain in Leeds has seen to it that the final day of the match between Yorkshire and Lancashire has been abandoned without a ball being bowled
Staff and agencies
31-Jul-2000
Heavy overnight and morning rain in Leeds has seen to it that the final day of the match between Yorkshire and Lancashire has been abandoned without a ball being bowled.
Even though a draw had appeared the most likely result in any case - with
Lancashire at 127/2 in its second innings and in possession of an overall
lead of eighteen runs - it was a disappointing way to end a match that had
offered absorbing cricket throughout.
The frustration will likely be felt most acutely by Yorkshire's players and
administrators. Their reaction to the disruptions to their squad being
perpetuated by the new England contract system appeared to be developing
into one of much angst even before this latest stroke of ill-fortune.
Captain David Byas also bemoaned the intervention of rain on the second
day, identifying it as the crucial factor in preventing the locals from
pressing home an advantage which they had held for most of the opening
three days.
"I was pleased with the way we dictated matters for long periods of the
game, and the points we have gained leave us in a competitive position for
the run-in to the season," said Byas after news of the abandonment became
official.
"It was a disappointment to lose the final day when a victory was still
possible for us, but even more important was the loss of the final session
on Saturday when Darren Lehmann was threatening to take their attack apart."
Yorkshire now head to Taunton to play Somerset without the four players in
their squad who are required by England for this week's Old Trafford Test.
Lancashire, meanwhile, take on Surrey at The Oval in a match that is likely
to significantly shape the race for the title.