'English weather' destroys Hampshire and Nottinghamshire's bid to get some play on final day

With no improvement in the conditions there was no possibility of any play on the final day of Hampshire’s Specsavers County Championship match against Nottinghamshire at Welbeck leaving skipper Sam Northeast keen to quickly switch focus to tasks ahead.
Kyle Abbott picked up six wickets for Hampshire on day one but then rain wrecked hopes of any play on the other three days. Picture: Harry Trump/Getty ImagesKyle Abbott picked up six wickets for Hampshire on day one but then rain wrecked hopes of any play on the other three days. Picture: Harry Trump/Getty Images
Kyle Abbott picked up six wickets for Hampshire on day one but then rain wrecked hopes of any play on the other three days. Picture: Harry Trump/Getty Images

Heavy rain had washed out the second and third day of the match and the saturated outfield and the likelihood of further showers prompted umpires Nick Cook and Paul Pollard to call off the contest shortly after 9.45am.

Both sides picked up five points for the draw, with Hampshire also claiming three bonus points for their bowling efforts on the opening day when they dismissed Notts for 162, with Kyle Abbott picking up figures of six for 37.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Hampshire had replied with 93 for two before the inclement weather prevented any further play.

The south coast side are next in action on Sunday, when they travel to Chelmsford to face Essex.

Northeast, the Hampshire captain, reflected that there was nothing else that anyone could have done to get more play in on the club ground.

The outcome does little to help his side close the gap on division one leaders Somerset.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He said: ‘It is what it is. It’s the English weather and there is so much cricket left still, so you can’t really be looking at other teams and what they are doing.

‘It’s a shame we couldn’t have a good game of cricket here, so we move on.’

Notts remain at the foot of the division one table ahead of Monday’s clash against Kent at Tunbridge Wells.

They will be needing to get some wins in future matches to try to climb the table and will also have to hope for better luck with the weather.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

‘We’ve got five points from the game but we know we need to improve rapidly if we are to get up that table,’ said Nottinghamshire captain Steven Mullaney.

‘We’re now looking forward to going down to Tunbridge Wells for the next match and putting a good show on against Kent.’

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.