Have your say: Does the County Championship cricket season start too early?

Division One leaders Warwickshire were frustrated in their match against Sussex by overnight rain which left the Hove ground saturated.

No play was possible on the final day, with umpires Jeremy Lloyds and Rob Bailey making their decision to call off proceedings at 11.45am.

Only 45 minutes of play was possible on the final two days of the game and a draw meant Warwickshire took eight points and Sussex five.

Worcestershire are set to go on flood watch after the abandonment of their match with Nottinghamshire at rain-battered New Road.

Club officials anticipate at least a 48-hour wait before the Severn, which flows directly past New Road, reaches its peak level.

The Severn has flooded New Road to devastating affect before, most recently in 2007.

The final day washout against Nottinghamshire killed off the visitors’ plans to set up a finish. With Neil Edwards on 49 not out, they closed 174 ahead on Saturday after making 88-2 in their second innings.

Somerset’s home game with Lancashire at Taunton was also abandoned without a ball bowled on the final day because of heavy overnight rain.

Somerset were due to resume their first innings on 87-3 in reply to 400 and took six points from the game, while Lancashire collected nine.

It was a similar story at Surrey, where umpires Martin Bodenham and Mark Benson called the game off well ahead of the planned 11am start time in order to allow Durham’s squad to head off for their next game against Warwickshire.

In Division Two, heavy rain also forced the abandonment of Hampshire’s encounter with Leicestershire, although the match was the last in the country to be called off.

Umpires David Mills and Jeff Evans waited until 1pm before making their decision, because a window of sunshine had been forecast for later in the afternoon.

At the abandonment Hampshire were 217-4 from 55 overs with Michael Carberry 84 not out in response to Leicestershire’s first innings total of 234.

An inch of rain overnight prevented any play between Essex and Northamptonshire. Essex take three points and Northamptonshire five points having reduced their hosts to 54-6 during the only 27 overs that were possible during the fours days.

Gloucestershire’s match with Glamorgan was a complete washout at Bristol for the first time since 1985.

n Scorecards: Page 11.