Leicestershire v Nottinghamshire, day four:
Leicestershire 222 (Trego 3-46) and 237-4, Nottinghamshire 343-8dec (Hameed 87, Slater 86).
Match drawn.
To the unaccustomed, cricket’s relationship with the weather can seem a touch odd.
A ground bathed in sunshine shortly after play is abandoned, or a team trooping from the field due to bad light even as floodlights beam down, can invite mockery from certain quarters.
But as games around the county tumbled to the weather, even with no paying crowd to satisfy, and the weather radar making the chances of a positive result feel remote, still the two sides resumed their battle – for the sheer love of the game, if nothing else.
It took until after 2pm for conditions to ease sufficiently for play to begin. Nine balls later, the game was halted once more.
This cat-and-mouse with Mother Nature would continue for the rest of the day, bowlers pushing through a vicious headwind and umpires fighting to stay anchored to the turf.
An advert for the tranquillity of county cricket, it was not. But still there were high points.
Peter Trego falling to the floor like a newly-crowned Wimbledon champion after removing Colin Ackermann for 65.
Harry Swindells offered stout resistance - and a little flair - for the hosts in making a half-century.
Nothing could be done, however, to prevent the draw.
A second consecutive week, then, in which Nottinghamshire could curse the heavens with some justification.
But another healthy haul of bonus points, another collection of strong performances to file away.
For the next week and a half, attention will switch to the explosive thrills of the Vitality Blast.
A rain-free run of three hours, rather than four days, will be all that is required.
Even in an English summer, surely that isn’t too much to ask?
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