Rain brings early end to Lancashire's clash with Warwickshire at Blackpool

AS IT HAPPENED: Lancashire v Warwickshire

The first shower of the day delayed the start by half an hour with the Red Rose then reaching 50-1 in 8.2 overs before the players were forced from the field.

Having gone off at 12.04pm the rain worsened as the day went on with no further play possible, the game officially abandoned shortly before 5pm.

The no result means both North Group sides take one point.

“It has been a very frustrating week,” said Blackpool chairman David Cresswell.

“From being perfect weather last weekend to Thursday’s forecast which started to change into that horrible band of rain that just seemed to hang over Blackpool and the North West.

“We have some very good volunteers and we’ve been working on the ground for about three weeks to get it spick and span.

“It looks fantastic but all that hard work by the volunteers when it does rain becomes very frustrating.

“You have to continue to look at the bigger picture and over a period of three, four or five years you hope to get at least one or two good games out of it.”

The visitors had won the toss and elected to bowl with Keaton Jennings and Alex Davies making a bright start with the bat for Lancashire.

Both found the boundary with regularity, Davies taking 14 from the seventh over of the match from Keith Barker as the opening pair put on 50 at the top of the order.

He was to fall for a run-a-ball 22 shortly afterwards though, pulling Henry Brookes’ second ball to Aaron Thomason in the deep in what turned out to be the final action of the day.

In-form Jennings hit four fours in his unbeaten 23 with Karl Brown only having time to make his way to the crease before rain brought a halt to proceedings after just 34 minutes.

"We came up for practice yesterday and the weather was cracking, the ground looked great and the wicket looked good," said Lancashire's assistant coach Mark Chilton.

"Unfortunately the weather forecast was right and we've not been able to build on a promising start.

"It's disappointing for everyone who has come out and the club make a huge effort to put this game on so it's a real shame for them."

Lancashire, who have won just one of their four games in the 50-over competition, are next in action at Worcestershire on Sunday.