Rain dominates at the Rose Bowl

Steven Croft top-scored with 70 but it proved in vain for Lancashire © Getty Images

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Steven Croft’s brisk 70 and 63 from Francois Du Plessis proved to be in vain as rain washed out Lancashire's NatWest Pro40 League match with Hampshire at the Rose Bowl.

Lancashire made 210 for eight from their allocation in the Division One game after being put in to bat, and Hampshire had mustered 14 without loss when rain terminated their reply after five overs.

Lancashire made a poor start, losing Lou Vincent and Paul Horton with only 16 on the board, and their position worsened when Glen Chapple and captain Stuart Law were both out at 41.

Law got an inside edge to a delivery from Dimitri Mascarenhas, and Chapple was yorked to the next ball from Billy Taylor.

Taylor was later to emerge as Hampshire's most successful bowler, with season's best figure of 4-26 from his eight overs.

Croft joined Du Plessis in the most productive stand of the innings, 118 for the fifth wicket in 21 overs.

Du Plessis hit six boundaries in reaching his half-century, while Croft managed two fours and two sixes, one straight down the ground off Greg Lamb.

With the score at 159, Du Plessis drove Sean Ervine high to extra cover where Michael Carberry clutched an easy catch.

South African Du Plessis hit seven fours and faced 77 balls, and his dismissal saw Lancashire begin to falter.

Croft was caught in the covers by Mascarenhas to give Taylor another wicket, and the same bowler struck again when he dismissed Gareth Cross and Kyle Hogg in quick succession.

Mascarenhas took 2-47, and there was a wicket each for David Balcombe and Ervine as Lancashire passed 200 in the 38th over and set Hampshire a difficult task.

But as rain started to fall, Michael Lumb and Carberry had little time to build a foundation, and the players ran from the field at the end of the fifth over, to the disappointment of a crowd approaching 5,000.