County Championship: Yorkshire v Lancashire abandoned due to unsafe ground

Only 119.2 overs were possible during the game at Headingley

The Roses match between Yorkshire and Lancashire was abandoned ahead of the final day's play because part of the ground was still deemed unsafe.

Umpires Ian Gould and Nigel Llong took the decision to call off the game following a 09:00 BST inspection.

They halted play on day three after Yorkshire's Dom Leech was injured and water rose to the surface in "key areas" of the outfield.

X-rays later confirmed Leech dislocated a joint at the side of his left knee.

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A Yorkshire statement said: "Unfortunately the final day's play of the Roses clash at Emerald Headingley has been abandoned.

"Conditions at the Emerald Stand End of the ground have not sufficiently improved, and it has therefore been deemed unfit and unsafe to play.

"All parties agreed that player safety is paramount."

Both sides were already guaranteed a top-two finish in Group Three, meaning they will be part of a six-team Division One to contest the County Championship title and Bob Willis Trophy later in the summer.

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But with Lancashire having won the fixture between the two sides at Old Trafford in May by an innings and 79 runs, they will carry 16.5 points forward and Yorkshire 4.5.

They will not play each other again in Division One, only the four sides who qualify from Groups One and Two.

Dom Leech received treatment on the boundary edge during the third day's play before being carried off on a stretcher

The match was originally due to be played at Scarborough, but Yorkshire took the decision to move it last month to allow a larger number of spectators to attend.

Play was suspended on Tuesday after 20-year-old Leech collided with the concrete foundations of the Western Terrace.

Lancashire were 411-2, with Luke Wells just three runs short of a century and Josh Bohannon on 74.

While an early tea was being taken, the umpires decided conditions were "unfit and unsafe" in a number of areas, including the bowler's run-ups, and called off play for the day.

Leech, who was playing only his third first-class game, will have an MRI scan later on Wednesday and see a specialist on Thursday.

Yorkshire are planning to re-lay areas of the outfield because of "a layer of thatch that can cause a build-up of water on the surface following heavy rainfall",

Chapple backs umpires' decision

Glen Chapple's Lancashire side progressed to Division One as Group Three winners

Following the abandonment of the game, Lancashire head coach Glen Chapple told BBC Lancashire Sport: "The umpires view is the ground isn't fit and there is too big a risk of injury. I think they've made the right call.

"From both teams' perspective, I think everyone has dealt with it fairly and with a level head."

Yorkshire captain Steve Patterson said: "We're disappointed. We'd have loved to play some cricket with points up for grabs to take through to the next round.

"But the way I look at it is that you have two of the most experienced umpires in the country who are very, very good at their job. As frustrating as it is from a cricket perspective, we accept their decision."

Chapple said he was "delighted" with his side's situation in terms of the points being carried forward.

"If you go back to April, I'd have snatched your hand off for what we've got and what we've achieved so far," he added.

"I'm delighted with the performance of the players and how hard they have worked. It sets us up for a good run at the last four games."

The team who finish top of Division One will be crowned county champions, succeeding Essex, who won the title in 2019, with the top two then contesting the one-off Bob Willis Trophy final at Lord's.