Cricket: Troughton shines with bat before rain stops play

Warwickshire added a further 35 runs without loss in that time to advance their score to 446-7.

Although the rain stopped by mid-afternoon, there was no further action despite four pitch inspection by umpires Roy Palmer and John Steele, the first at 4pm and the final one at 5.50pm before play was aborted for the day.

Frustratingly the main concern appeared not be at the actual wicket being used but another strip some 25 yards away, which was very wet.

But little was apparently done to address the problem and the scheduled start of play had even been delayed five minutes not because of weather but because the bowlers' footholds at City End, where Scott Brant was preparing to send down the first over, had not been properly prepared.

When action did get underway both Jamie Troughton and Mo Sheikh collected a boundary off Jon Dakin and Brant respectively.

The electronic scoreboard went temporarily blank but for the two batsmen it was normal service, with Troughton taking nine off a Brant over to raise the 50 partnership before he was offered the light, which he rejected.

The scoreboard was soon back in action and so was the left-hander, drilling another boundary but he was given a life with his score on 127 when he carved Dakin to deep backward point.

James Middlebrook ran to take the catch but having got both hands to the ball low down, he fell and saw the ball slip from his grasp and roll slowly over the boundary.

Light rain had already begun to fall, making the surface slippery, and as it intensified the players retreated to dressing room and failed to make another appearance.

That left Troughton unbeaten on 129 and Sheikh on 28, with the pair collecting six boundaries. With poor weather forecast for today the match would seemingly be heading towards a draw, leaving Essex only bonus points as their realistic challenge.

Published Friday, April 25, 2003

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