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Yorkshire were thankful for the poor weather which descended on Headingley and spared them what looked a likely defeat in the totesport League encounter with promotion rivals Nottinghamshire.
Set 180 to win in 25 overs under Duckworth-Lewis regulations, Yorkshire lost a wicket in each of the first three overs of their reply before rain, which had caused two lengthy delays during the visitors’ innings, forced the game to be abandoned.
At nine for three and requiring a further 171 in 21 overs, the odds were stacked against Yorkshire recording the victory which would lift them into fourth place in Division Two.
But, if they were relatively pleased at the intervention of inclement weather, it is worth noting that rain played a key role in denying them victory over Derbyshire in their Frizzell County Championship encounter, which finished on Sunday.
Nevertheless, the result - or lack of it - was harsh on Nottinghamshire, who made 141 for four from 25 overs despite pacing the majority of their innings as if expecting to bat their full allocation.
Anurag Singh fell five short of a half-century and Jason Gallian made 39, sharing an 85-run stand for the first wicket which was the centrepiece of their total of 141 for four.
They profited from some wayward bowling early on as Yorkshire’s attack failed to show the discipline required on an easy-paced pitch.
Gallian was the more aggressive of the two, uppercutting Tim Bresnan for four and twice driving Ian Harvey through cover in emphatic fashion.
The early stages were not entirely without alarm for Notts, Gallian top-edging a pull over the wicketkeeper’s head moments after Singh had been put down by a diving Andrew Gale at extra cover.
Steve Kirby was the unfortunate bowler on both occasions.
Gallian fell driving a wide half-volley from Harvey head height to Richard Dawson at backward point, and Singh succumbed within three overs of the resumption following rain.
Dawson was again involved, tempting him into a mistimed sweep which found John Blain at deep backward square leg.
The second rain break and the need for quick runs accounted for Kevin Pietersen, who was superbly taken by a tumbling Blain on the long off boundary off Harvey, and Mark Ealham struck Darren Lehmann for a mighty six before drilling him to Harvey at extra cover.
If the chances of a Yorkshire victory receded when Harvey slashed Ealham to Gallian at slip, they were in tatters by the time Lehmann drilled the same bowler to Greg Smith at deep mid-off.
Those dismissals sandwiched that of Gale, lbw to one from Andrew Harris that nipped back considerably in the intervening over.
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