Essex on the brink after washout

Opener Rob White made a rapid half-century but it was the weather which had the final say at Wantage Road

Essex are now only one point away from a quarter-final berth in the Friends Provident Trophy after their clash with Northamptonshire at Wantage Road was abandoned following just 18 overs of action.

Lancashire are already secured of a place in the last eight and only Derbyshire can prevent Essex joining them with the pair – who both have two games left to play - set to go head-to-head at Chelmsford on Monday in a floodlit match.

The game was initially rescheduled for 31 overs a side and after winning the toss and putting Northants in to bat Essex made a tidy start as Graham Napier and David Masters found early movement in the overcast conditions.

The home side were given a stroke of good fortune when opener Rob White enjoyed an early reprieve as Essex skipper Mark Pettini dropped a simple leading edge at mid off in the fourth over off the bowling of Masters.

The Chelmsford-born batsman celebrated by lofting boundaries over cover and down the ground as he took the game to Essex, while fellow opener Niall O’Brien played a steady innings at the other end.

Two hours of rain further reduced the contest to 18 overs; the home side re-commencing at 42 without loss from nine overs.

O’Brien clipped the first two deliveries after the re-start backward of square for four, before giving Chris Wright a return catch having made 24.

Masters fourth over produced 15 runs as White thrashed him over extra cover for four before Riki Wessels drove straight for six.

The bowler also suffered a painful blow on the wrist from a powerfully struck White drive, which forced him from the field.

With the game resembling a Twenty20 encounter, Wessels continued to go on the attack. The 23-year-old brought up the 100 in the 15th over, before he dragged Wright on to his stumps to depart for 27 from just 18 balls.

Wright claimed his second victim two balls later as Mark Nelson gloved an attempted pull to James Foster to depart without scoring.

There was some joy for the home side as White reached his first one-day half century of the season from 56 balls in the penultimate over, before he was bowled by Ryan ten Doeschate for 51 as he looked to accelerate the scoring.

South African duo Nicky Boje and Andrew Hall added 16 from the last nine balls, to take Northants to 124 for four at the end of their allocation.

Unfortunately, another heavy shower then terminated proceedings for the day before Essex had begun their reply.