Yorkshire v Leicestershire, Match abandoned as a draw

Rain ruined this top of the table clash at Headingley. No play at all was possible on the final day following overnight rain. On Friday only 16.3 overs were bowled and on Thursday the Yorkshire batsmen faced 45 overs. The rain was a stark contrast to when play started on Wednesday in glorious sunshine.

On that first morning the Leicester openers Maddy and Ward set off like an express train with the Leicester 50 coming up after only 38 minutes. Maddy's own 50 was scored in 65 minutes off 57 balls and included nine fours. It was his second fifty of the season.

The partnership was broken with the score on 84 when Ward was caught by Byas at second slip of Gavin Hamilton for 19. Maddy was the next out when the score reached 106. He too was caught by Byas but this time of the off spinner Middlebrook.

Vince Wells scored 19 but he lost his off stump to Hutchison. After that dismissal the Leicester middle order folded. Habib was caught by Lehmann at short leg when he clipped Hutchison of his toes. Darren Stevens miss timed his pull shot straight to Craven at short mid wicket. Ben Smith became James Middlebrook's third victim when he was leg before for 30.

When Hamilton returned to the attack he bowled Neil Burns' middle stump with his second ball. After a promising start Leicestershire had slumped from 106 for two 171 for seven. Their innings was revived by Phil DeFreitas. First with a partnership of 25 with Leeds born Iain Sutcliffe and a ninth wicket partnership of 61 with James Ormond. The fifty between the two came up in 13.3 overs.

The partnership was broken by Middlebrook when he bowled Ormond for 20. DeFreitas and another Yorkshire man Scott Boswell added 39 before DeFreitas was bowled by Hutchison for 70. His innings included eight fours, of 111 balls in 146 minutes. Boswell scored 12 in 45 minutes of 54 balls and the Leicestershire innings ended on 296.

In their reply Yorkshire soon lost Vic Craven and Richard Blakey for one and nine. Both players were out leg before, Craven to Ormond and Blakey to Wells. David Byas and Darren Lehmann took the score from 18 for two to 94 when Lehmann was run out backing up too far. Before rain and bad light stopped play on the second day Yorkshire lost Byas for 44.

In the 65 minutes of play that were possible on the third day Yorkshire took their score from 107 for four to 146 for four.