An utterly damp squib

Even by the standards of an already wretched summer, the weather on Saturday was appalling with vicious storms lashing the country. Many sporting events were cancelled, and unsurprisingly the first-class cricket programme was decimated.

For the second day running there was no play at Scarborough where Sussex drew with Yorkshire, the match abandoned after an early lunch. The result leaves Yorkshire, with only two games left, in real danger of the drop unless they can win at least one of their remaining fixtures against Sussex and Somerset.

It was the same story in the top-of-the-table clash at Trent Bridge where Nottinghamshire drew with Somerset. The abandonment means Nottinghamshire have a four-point lead over Somerset, but Somerset, who face third-placed Durham next week, have a game in hand.

The final day at Chester-le-Street between Durham and Lancashire was washed out after rain started falling at 10am. Although the players and officials took an early lunch, the game was called off soon after with the outfield sodden.

The one place there was action was in the south east at Canterbury where bottom side Surrey, in desperate need of a win, advanced to 220 for 5 at the close of the third day against Kent. The star was Mark Ramprakash, who stroked 127 from 176 balls, his 103rd first-class hundred, an innings which left coach Mark Butcher in raptures. "It was different class, a special innings," he said. "His conversion rate this year has been 100%, every time he gets past fifty he gets a hundred. That doesn't happen very often. It just underlines what a class player he is." Despite that, Kent, also in danger of being sucked into a relegation fight, are unlikely to make any generous declarations tomorrow and the match seems destined to end in stalemate. "I can't see any realistic way that we're going to pull a result out," Butcher admitted. "You give up the opportunity of your bonus points."

The superb drainage at Lord's enabled a full morning and an hour in the afternoon before the captains agreed to an early finish. Gloucestershire, who were never in danger of losing to Middlesex after wiping out their first-innings deficit for the loss of two wickets at lunch, reached 161 for 4. William Porterfield followed his failure first time round with a spirited 69.

Heavy rain caused the match between Derbyshire and Glamorgan at Derby to be abandoned half an hour after the scheduled start. That there was any play at all was down to the efforts of the groundstaff who estimated they removed 2500 gallons of water from the outfield over the first three days.