Rain pain is worst for Yorkshire

Just 13 balls were bowled in the entire day's County Championship programme yesterday as rain forced the early abandonment of play in all seven games.

Six grounds hosted no cricket whatsoever, with Kent's match against Surrey at Canterbury yielding 2.1 runless overs on day two. Wet conditions on the fourth day ensured draws in the Second Division match between Derbyshire and Glamorgan and Worcestershire's top-of-the-table meeting with Warwickshire at New Road.

Worcestershire were deducted two points for a slow over-rate – something they had hoped to remedy this morning if play had been possible. But both sides will still be confident of winning promotion, with the Pears 16 points ahead of their rivals, 25 short of guaranteeing First Division cricket next season.

The third day of all three remaining top-tier matches – Durham's match against Lancashire, Nottinghamshire versus Somerset and Sussex's tie with Yorkshire at Scarborough – was also washed out without a ball being bowled. That is particularly frustrating for a Yorkshire side who are running out of chances to pull themselves out a relegation battle.

Their chances of a win over Sussex looked promising when they dismissed their opponents for a modest 265, but after slumping to 133 for 7 in return Yorkshire now face the prospect of collecting no batting points in a rain-ruined draw. With just two matches left, against title hopefuls Somerset and the reigning champions, Sussex, their retiring captain, Darren Gough, faces a struggle to avoid going out with a whimper.

Three questions for England captain Charlotte Edwards

1. There are to be women's individual rankings for the first time. A good thing?

I think this is a great step. We can't wait for the rankings to come out in October. We hope there will be a lot of England players in the top 10. It should definitely raise the profile. We couldn't have rankings in the past because there wasn't enough cricket.

2. How have England managed to win their last four series – clinching the latest 3-0 with victory against India on Thursday?

We've got experience and some very, very talented youngsters. We got a massive amount of belief from beating Australia last winter because they had dominated the world game for years.

3. What chances have you got in the World Cup and World Twenty20 next year?

People are talking about us now and we're probably going in as favourites to the World Cup. But we know the Aussies and Kiwis will be waiting. Women's cricket has altered dramatically. I can remember having to pay for my own blazer. This is a really exciting time.

Stephen Brenkley

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