For the second time in three days, play was abandoned without a ball bowled in the match between Essex and Northamptonshire at Chelmsford.
After the scheduled opening day was completely lost to the weather, a belated start was made on Friday when 27 overs were possible late in the day as Essex reached 54-6 in their County Championship Division Two match. But incessant rain on day three falling on a sodden ground left umpires Nigel Cowley and Steve Gale with the straightforward decision to call off play for the day.
The match is set to resume on Sunday when entry will be free, although the advance weather forecast is not promising.
Update:
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