Weather only winner at Edgbaston

Essex’s preparations for a Lord’s showpiece on Saturday took another hit from the weather at Edgbaston.

For the second day in a row they suffered a complete washout in their LV County Championship fixture with Division Two promotion rivals Warwickshire.

Conditions had barely improved since umpires John Holder and Martin Bodenham abandoned the opening day at lunchtime yesterday.

Rain prevented play for a second day at Edgbaston

An overnight storm and steady rain during the morning topped up the water table and the officials called off play for the day at 2.30pm.

With Worcestershire pushing on at the top of the table, both teams need points to close the gap, but Essex’s disappointment was probably the greater in the build-up to their Friends Provident Trophy final against Kent at the weekend.

After sitting out last week’s round of four-day matches coach Paul Grayson is looking for a big push on two fronts in the closing weeks of the season.

With two games in hand on leaders Worcestershire, promotion is the priority but the 50-over final is the earliest opportunity to win some silverware.

The Lord’s match is also a revenge mission after Essex’s defeat by Kent in the Twenty20 Cup semi-final.