County Championship: Foxes' promotion push fades after rain-ruined draw with Yorkshire

James Wharton struck his third first-class half-century in eight matches against Leicestershire

Leicestershire's slim chance of adding promotion to their One-Day Cup success was effectively washed away as their County Championship match against Yorkshire finished as a draw at rain-hit Grace Road.

Every effort was made by the ground staff to make the playing area fit to resume after heavy showers after lunch but after the teams had been off the field for three and a half hours, umpires Neil Bainton and Neil Pratt found that parts of the outfield were still wet and abandoned the contest.

The Foxes, third place in Division Two, knew that only a win would realistically be enough to keep alive their chance of travelling to Chester-le-Street for the final round of fixtures next week with any realistic chance of joining their hosts, Durham, in Division One next season.

To rub salt in Leicestershire's wounds, they also lose one of their three bonus points because of a slow over-rate.

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With promotion rivals Worcestershire held to a draw by Durham at New Road and claiming three bonus points, it leaves a 22-point gap between the sides going into the final round next week.

Worcestershire - with five wins to Leicestershire's three - now need only to pick up two bonus points in their final match against Yorkshire at Headingley to confirm their own promotion and leave the Foxes disappointed.

Leicestershire reduced Yorkshire to 140-4 in their second innings on the final morning, leaving the visitors effectively 62-4 with still potentially 82 overs remaining in the contest.

Yorkshire were 225-4, 147 in front, with James Wharton unbeaten on 58 and George Hill on 32 when the players left the field for what turned out to be the last time at 13:32 BST.

After the final day began on time and in sunny conditions, Leicestershire's bowlers made two breakthroughs in the first 35 minutes, and a third on the hour, but any notion that they might run through Yorkshire's batting in short order dissipated in what remained of the first session.

Chris Wright sent middle stump out of the ground to remove nightwatchman Ben Coad, Tom Scriven claimed an important scalp when Shan Masood edged to second slip, and Will Davis struck with his first ball of the day as Adam Lyth stepped across his stumps to be pinned in front trying to work the ball to leg.

At that point, Yorkshire were wobbling a little at 140-4, just 62 in front.

But after Hill had taken three boundaries in as many balls off Davis and Wharton picked up three fours off Scott Currie in the next over, the momentum shifted enough for Yorkshire to stretch their advantage to 131 by lunch with no further losses.

A sumptuous cover drive gave Wharton a 10th four and his fifty - a third in just eight first-class matches - immediately after the interval.

But only 22 balls could be bowled in the afternoon before the first of three heavy downpours forced the players off the field.

It meant that only 147 overs had been possible over the four days, with no play possible at all on day two.

Leicestershire skipper Lewis Hill:

"It is a frustration that we could not have got a bit more cricket this afternoon. It was shaping up to be a nice game at the finish.

"We batted well in patches and bowled well in patches, so we were not at our best. There have been some tired bodies from the start of this week. The final took a lot out of us physically and mentally.

"Going into the final game, winning promotion now is unlikely. We needed to win this but you never say never. And to have won a trophy and then gone into the last week still in with a chance, it shows the strides the team has made this year.

"It is a massive improvement on where we have been the last few years. We are losing three big players next season and there may be others going too and we wish them well. But we've got our two overseas players coming back next year, which is a statement of faith in the club."

Yorkshire head coach Ottis Gibson:

"The frustration levels are sky-high. Here we are now this afternoon standing around like we did at the start of the game four days ago when we were off for the wind.

"The game was boiling up nicely, and it could have been a really interesting finish this afternoon. But the weather has put paid to another Yorkshire match, which is desperately disappointing.

"It was good to see us bat a lot better in the second innings, especially to see James Wharton getting runs. He's someone we think really highly of, so it was nice to see him knuckle down after he misjudged one in the first innings. He was really fluent in the second innings.

"Lythy and Beany have been outstanding for us all season. They're both in the 900s for runs (in the Championship). It was the fourth time they've put on a hundred. That's a real positive."

Report supplied by ECB Reporters' Network.