Much vaunted Manchester rain cancels Championship day two

Incessant and often heavy overnight Manchester rain put paid to any hopes of play on the second day of the Frizzell County Championship match with Lancashire, with umpires Barry Dudleston and Nigel Llong deciding to call a halt to waiting for any improvement at 12.15pm.

There was little hope of play as puddles began to appear all over the outfield and groundsman Peter Marron and his staff were losing the battle as they attempted to water-hog the surface water from the covers.

Rather than hold out and elongate the frustration, the umpires pulled the plug early and hope for a prompt start tomorrow (Saturday). However, the forecast is not the best, leaving just one day left for Hampshire to get something out of this game.