It's nice weather for ducks out there, so the cricket season must be about to start.

But the only ducks at the County Ground were of the feathered variety as Essex's friendly two-day match against Kent was cancelled because of, wait for it, the weather.

The offical report from Chelmsford is that the wicket was sodden, and earlier today resembled an ice-rink.

That puts in doubt the two-day match against Durham on Friday and Saturday, and the one-day game scheduled for Sunday.

The County Ground wicket, however, does dry out quickly, so if it stops raining soon the match may go ahead.

It looks like we could have a traditional Summer to look forward to - so don't forget your umbrella.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.