Rain washes out tour game

The elements prevented play between Essex and West Indies at Chelmsford

Alastair Cook’s bid to register a maiden first-class hundred for the season was undone by persistent rain at Chelmsford.

The wet weather prevented any play at all against West Indies on the final day ofd the three-day contest with Cook left stranded on 74 not out.

Essex dominated the contest against the tourists, and led by 292 runs with seven second-innings wickets intact, with acting captain James Foster unbeaten on 48, heading into the final morning.

An early lunch was taken and umpires Steve O’Shaughnessy and David Millns inspected the ground at 1pm - but a further downpour confirmed the contest as a draw one hour later.

The West Indies were dismissed for just 146 yesterday as only veteran Shivnarine Chanderpaul offering resistance with an undefeated 66 - and they were denied the chance of redemption via a meaningful second innings.

West Indies now face England Lions at Derby in a four-day match starting on Thursday, their final fixture ahead of the opening npower Test of two at Lord’s on May 6.

Fast bowler Jerome Taylor, who has been recovering from a hip injury in the Caribbean, is scheduled to join up with the squad when they arrive in the midlands and feature in the Lions encounter.