CRICKET: Less than one hour's play was possible on day two of Suffolk's Minor Counties Championship match against Bedfordshire at Luton yesterday.Suffolk took four wickets in the 52 minutes they were on the field to secure their first bowling point against the Eastern Division leaders at Wardown Park.

CRICKET

LESS than one hour's play was possible on day two of Suffolk's Minor Counties Championship match against Bedfordshire at Luton yesterday.

Suffolk took four wickets in the 52 minutes they were on the field to secure their first bowling point against the Eastern Division leaders at Wardown Park.

Paul King picked up three of the wickets to fall, but it was Trevor Smith who struck first, David Roberts scooping a catch to Suffolk's Chris Swallow in the covers.

Andy Roberts fell without any addition to the score, caught at short backward leg, and then King struck again to remove Andy Patterson, caught at the wicket for a duck.

Three wickets had fallen for the addition of just three runs and Bedfordshire doubled their score before King made the breakthrough, Ian Morton holding on to a fierce pull from Adrian Shankar at mid on.

James Knott and Tony Bristow added a further 17 runs before play was halted and although attempts were made to resume after lunch and tea, each time the weather put paid to any play.

Assuming the weather holds today, the only realistic chance of there being a positive result will be down to the two captains agreeing over declarations.

RAIN wrecked almost the entire Marshall Hatchick Two Counties Championship programme at the weekend. Every scheduled match in the top two divisions was either abandoned or cancelled.

Sunday's Senior and Junior Cup semi-finals fared little better, although Easton disposed of Halstead by 21 runs in the Senior Plate despite a fine all-round display by Matthew Spatcher, who took six for 34 and then scored 50 in a losing cause.