da wazamba： Not a ball was bowled as persistent showers washed out the fourth and finalday of the County Championship match between Durham and Somerset atChester-le-Street
Staff and agencies31-Jul-2000Not a ball was bowled as persistent showers washed out the fourth and finalday of the County Championship match between Durham and Somerset atChester-le-Street. The prospect of at least some play looked a possibilityfor a time when the rains cleared at shortly after the scheduled starttime; when they returned within the hour, though, the die was cast.Having found itself at a score of 73/3 overnight – and in the lead byeighty-five runs overall – the home team would have been expecting to usethe last day to push for a victory and to narrow the gap between these twoteams on the Division One table. As it was, though, the abandonmentensured that both sides left with nine points to show for their efforts inthe match.Somerset, which did well to share the honours after finding itself inmassive trouble at 88/6 at one stage in its first innings, now heads hometo prepare for a battle with Yorkshire beginning on Wednesday. Durham,meanwhile, is not engaged in action again until the occasion of a NationalLeague clash with Glamorgan on Sunday. The break will be a welcome one andshould allow both Melvyn Betts (who is nursing a knee strain) and SteveHarmison (who begins his comeback in the county’s second eleven teamtomorrow following a shin complaint) some much-needed time to preparethemselves.