Weather condemns Durham game

Only 14 balls were bowled on the fourth day of Durham's County Championship match against Middlesex at Chester-le-Street as rain and snow led to an inevitable draw.

It was the first action since play was halted by snow on Monday and Durham's Mark Stoneman and Michael Richardson scampered five singles off the five remaining balls of Toby Roland-Jones's over. That took them to a third batting point, on 300 for 4, and with rain not far away they knew they were unlikely to gain any more.

In Roland-Jones's next over there was just time for Richardson to clip him through midwicket for four before the rain arrived, quickly turning to sleet. It lasted only ten minutes, but umpires Ian Gould and Graham Lloyd showed little appetite for a resumption.

Nor had they seemed keen in the morning, when the weather was fine but still bitterly cold. After inspections at 11am and noon they announced, if there was no rain, play would begin at 1.40pm, which it duly did.

Stoneman remained unbeaten on 141, with Richardson on 39. Durham took six bonus points to Middlesex's five, to go with five for the draw.

"It's disappointing, but they are two experienced umpires who have been around a long time," Durham captain, Paul Collingwood, said. "They looked at the action areas and said it was too greasy. In this sort of weather the ground doesn't dry. It's frustrating, but they have the last word."

Middlesex captain, Adam Voges, added: "This has been a shock to the system for me because I've never actually seen snow before. We put a satisfactory total on the board but no-one went on, then our first ten overs with the ball were disappointing. We have played some good cricket, but we need to do it for longer periods of time."