Northants remain favourites for division two title as rain curtails third day

Northamptonshire remain hot favourites to wrap up the County Championship's second division title despite a rain-ruined day in their penultimate match against Essex at Wantage Road.

Having already secured promotion into Division One, Matthew Hayden's men progressed from 337 for seven overnight to 397 for nine before steady drizzle drove the players from the field after only 70 minutes' cricket and ruled out any further play.

They have a lead of 164 going into the final day, and barring accidents the trophy will be theirs come Saturday night.

David Ripley (54) and Paul Taylor (27) carried their eighth-wicket stand to 69 until Taylor clipped Ricky Anderson, armed with the new ball, to Paul Grayson at square leg in the 13th over of the morning.

Ripley completed his third half-century of the season, off 104 balls with six boundaries, but then edged Anderson to slip where Stuart Law held a smart catch.

Last pair Darren Cousins and Jason Brown came together with 11 needed for the fifth point, and they had scored eight together when the weather intervened.

Conditions showed no signs of improving, leaving umpires Barrie Leadbeater and Graham Burgess with no option but to abandon play for the day at 4.30pm.