MATCH RESULT - MATCH ABANDONED
Leicestershire 36/3 - 5 points
Middlesex - 6 points
Play has been officially abandoned for the day without a ball being bowled on the fourth and final day of the Specsavers County Championship match between Leicestershire and Middlesex.
Continuous heavy rain has left parts of the Fischer County Ground outfield under water, and umpires Steve O'Shaughnessy and Ulhas Gandhe made their decision at 10.45am.
Only eleven overs were possible in the match, during which Middlesex picked up three wickets and so added a bowling bonus point to the five they take from the draw. Leicestershire take five points from the draw.
Match Updates provided by ECB Reporters Network.
CLOSE OF PLAY - DAY THREE
Leicestershire 36/3
Middlesex picked up three wickets in the 11 overs that were possible on the third day of their Specsavers County Championship match against Leicestershire at the Fischer County Ground, Grace Road.
Constant heavy rain having forced play to be abandoned without a ball being bowled on each of the first two days, there was a certain amount of surprise when, after Herculean efforts by the groundstaff but with the outfield still damp, umpires Steve O'Shaughnessy and Ulhas Gandhe decided it was possible to start play at 3.10pm, with 48 overs to be bowled.
After Middlesex exercised the away team's prerogative to bowl first, seamers Tim Murtagh and Tom Helm were understandably tentative in their opening overs, but even so the visitors made a quick breakthrough when Leicestershire captain Paul Horton, having squeezed a Murtagh delivery into the legside, was slow to respond when opening partner Hassan Azad called him through for a quick single.
Leicestershire's captain was well short of his ground when George Scott, running in from midwicket, turned and threw down the stumps at the non-striker's end.
The left-handed Azad picked up a couple of neat fours off his legs off Murtagh, but Sam Evans, making his first first class appearance of the season, had no answer to a Murtagh delivery that seamed back in to the young right-hander and hit the top of off-stump.
Middlesex then ensured that from their point of view the 11 overs had been worth playing when Helm found the edge of Mark Cosgrove's bat and captain Dawid Malan held a fine catch two-handed high to his right at third slip to secure a bowling bonus point.
Bad light closed in soon afterwards, and the forecast for the fourth day is poor in the extreme, but in recent years championships, promotions and relegations have been decided by a point: Middlesex may yet come to look back on four otherwise hugely frustrating days in the East Midlands fondly.
Match Updates provided by ECB Reporters Network.
LUNCH - DAY THREE
No play was possible.
No play was possible before lunch on the third day of the Specsavers Division Two county championship match between Leicestershire and Middlesex.
Although the heavy rain which prevented play on either of the first two days finally relented, and the hard-working groundstaff managed to remove all the surface water, the outfield at the Fischer County Ground remained very soft and wet underfoot.
Umpires Steve O'Shaugnessy and Ulhas Ghande will inspect after the interval, but with no sign of any sunshine in the East Midlands, and further heavy rain forecast to come in from mid-afternoon, the prospects of a complete wash-out are growing.
If so, it will be the first such wash-out at the Grace Road ground since the match against Warwickshire in 1997.
Match Updates provided by ECB Reporters Network.
STUMPS - DAY TWO
No play possible.
Play has been abandoned without a ball being bowled for the second consecutive day in the Specsavers County Championship Division Two match between Leicestershire and Middlesex.
Heavy rain persisted throughout the morning, forming large pools on the already sodden outfield at the Fischer County Ground and leaving umpires Steve O'Shaugnessy and Ulhas Gandhe no choice other than to abandon proceedings at 1pm.
Match Updates provided by ECB Reporters Network.
LUNCH - DAY TWO
No play possible.
No play was possible on the first day of the Specsavers Division Two county championship match between Leicestershire and Middlesex.
Heavy rain began shortly before the toss was scheduled to take place and persisted throughout the day, forcing umpires Steve O'Shaughnessy and Ulhas Gandhe to abandon play without a ball having been bowled.
Match Updates provided by ECB Reporters Network.
CLOSE OF PLAY - DAY ONE
No play possible.
No play was possible on the first day of the Specsavers Division Two county championship match between Leicestershire and Middlesex.
Heavy rain began shortly before the toss was scheduled to take place and persisted throughout the day, forcing umpires Steve O'Shaughnessy and Ulhas Gandhe to abandon play without a ball having been bowled.
Match Updates provided by ECB Reporters Network.
LUNCH - DAY ONE
No play possible before Lunch.
Steady rain mean no play was possible before lunch on the first day of the Specsavers County Championship match between Leicestershire and Middlesex at the Fischer County Ground, Grace Road.
The rain began falling shortly before 10.30am, meaning the toss was delayed. The weather forecast for the area suggests the prospects of any play during the day are slim.
Match Updates provided by ECB Reporters Network.
Leicestershire
Middlesex
