Rain spoils second day at Bristol
Thursday 16th August 2012
Only 11.2 overs were bowled on the second day of the LV= County Championship Division Two match between Gloucestershire and Kent at Bristol before a torrential downpour left the outfield resembling a lake.
The visitors had progressed to 29 for one when the rain arrived at 11.45am. Umpires Neil Bainton and Martin Bodenham ruled out any further prospect of play at 1.15pm.
After the first day washout, Gloucestershire won the toss and skipper Alex Gidman not surprisingly elected to field as the grey clouds began to gather.
Play began on time in some sunshine and Kent had 12 on the board when Sam Northeast was given a life on seven, Rob Nicol spilling a relatively straightforward chance at second slip.
The unlucky bowler was Will Gidman, back in the Gloucestershire side after a side injury, which had kept him out since June.
Gidman, the club's Player-of-the-Year last season after doing the all-rounder's double of 1,000 first class runs and 50 wickets, sent down 4.2 overs from the Ashley Down Road End, conceding 12 runs.
It was James Fuller who made the breakthrough from the Pavilion End, when with the score on 20 Rob Key attempted to pull a short ball and got a thin edge through to wicketkeeper Jon Batty to depart for nine.
With nine runs added the players were forced off and the heavens opened to end the day's play.
Photo: Sarah Ansell SarahCanterbury.com