Slow going as rain holds sway in Scarborough
NOTHING happened in a hurry in Scarborough on Saturday.
The umpires carried out two morning pitch inspections before play finally got under way at noon, with the problem centred on an area at the Trafalgar Square End affected by overnight rain.
When the action eventually began beneath low-lying cloud, the cricket was content to simmer rather than boil.
Leicestershire crawled along at fewer than two runs an over during a truncated first session, adding just 31 runs in 17.2 overs.
Rishi Patel and Sheridon Gumbs took the overnight 12-0 to 43-0 as neither side yielded an inch.
The visitors, responding to Yorkshire’s first-innings 263, were clearly determined to offer their opponents little encouragement in the formative stages of day three.
It was almost as if the game, already badly affected by the weather, had decided to stop moving altogether — like a tourist pausing to admire Scarborough’s rich landscape.
There was certainly plenty to admire about Patel and Gumbs, as well as the Yorkshire bowlers who plugged away with admirable persistence.
Ben Coad set the tone, as he invariably does, with an opening spell of five overs for three runs from the Trafalgar Square End.
You are more likely to see a seagull turn up its beak at a discarded chip than Coad send down a loose ball.
The batsmen had to watch him closely, like a store detective keeping an eye on a shifty customer.
The pattern continued after lunch.
With light drizzle falling, Leicestershire dug in. Patel and Gumbs defended doggedly, only occasionally unfurling an aggressive stroke.
One, in particular, was beautifully played, Patel rocking back to cut Coad towards the foot of the Popular Bank, populated on this occasion by only the hardiest souls.
Whenever the ball was struck past the infield, the effect of the rain was plain to see.
On another day, a sweet off-drive from Patel towards the Trafalgar Road side would have raced all the way to the boundary.
Instead, the fielder was able to gather just inside the rope.
There was a concern for Yorkshire when George Hill left the field with a knee problem two balls into his sixth over, which was completed by Matty Revis.
With the forecast deteriorating from mid-afternoon, the only question was when the rain would finally curtail proceedings.
The answer came at 2.52pm.
As the drizzle developed into something more steady, the players left the field with Leicestershire 84-0 from 35.3 overs.
Tea was taken at 3.30pm, a little too early for those who had just had their lunch.
Finally, umpires Ian Blackwell and Graham Lloyd bowed to the inevitable at 4.35pm.
Patel reached 41 from 107 balls with six fours, and Gumbs 39 from 106 deliveries with seven fours, including a couple of handsome boundaries off Coad.