Rain-hit festival costs Kent £50,000

The 100th Tunbridge Wells festival week suffered more frustration when Kent's CB40 Group C match against Northamptonshire was abandoned as a no result with only 33 overs of play possible because of rain.

Kent, who were chasing an adjusted D/L target of 203 from 32 overs, in reply to Northamptonshire's total of 168 for 5 from 32 overs, managed only one over when the bad weather intervened for the second and final time.

The one point keeps Kent in contention in the top half of the group, but for Northamptonshire, who were bottom with three defeats from their opening three games, it was not ideal.

After the first four days of the festival week, featuring Kent's division two Championship match with Hampshire, had also been ravaged by rain, it brought more gloom for the financially-troubled county.

The festival is now dependent upon Tuesday evening's Friends Life t20 opener between Kent and Sussex to lift spirits and provide Kent with the chance to redress lost gate receipts projected as it stands to cost them around £50,000 for the week.

In the play that was possible, Northamptonshire recovered from 35 for 3. David Willey skied a catch to keeper Geraint Jones in the third over, Kyle Coetzer got a leading edge off Matt Coles, and James Middlebrook edged an attempted back-foot slash at Darren Stevens to slip.

But Alex Wakely, captaining Northamptonshire in the absence of Andrew Hall, then added 74 in 17 overs for the fourth wicket with Niall O'Brien to lead his side's recovery. Wakely hit three sixes in his 42 from 47 balls, before off-spinner James Tredwell trapped him lbw with one that seemed to skid on. O'Brien, who made a determined 46 from 71 balls, was caught at the wicket off Coles from the first ball after the first rain break. Northants struck 31 from the last three overs but it meant nothing.