Rain thwarts Derbyshire's victory push

Top-of-the-table Derbyshire were again left frustrated by the weather, as rain reduced the third day's play in their County Championship match against Leicestershire to 18.1 overs at a soggy Grace Road.

In that time, the Division Two leaders scored another 68 runs to reach 259 for 5, giving them a lead of 82 runs and a second batting bonus point. Dan Redfern and David Wainwright extended their unbeaten sixth wicket partnership to 109, with Redfern looking well on course for his third Championship century of the season.

Redfern, the 22-year-old, was still there on 81 off 138 balls when play was abandoned for the day in mid-afternoon. Wainwright was 45 not out. But with so much time lost to the weather, Derbyshire have a lot to do to secure their fifth win of the season.

The start was delayed for an hour by early morning rain, but Redfern wasted no time adding to his overnight score of 40, clipping a four through midwicket off the first ball of the day from Wayne White.

A neat leg glance to the boundary off the same bowler took Redfern to his half-century off 87 balls with seven fours. He continued to score at a rapid rate, and collected three more fours in one over from Nathan Buck, although the last of them was an inside edge which almost jagged back into the leg stump.

But it was Wainwright who brought up the century stand with a cracking cover drive to the boundary off Nadeem Malik. Then, 20 minutes before the scheduled lunch break, the rain swept in and with no sign of a let-up in the conditions the game was abandoned for the day at 3.30pm.