Cricket: Yorkshire make haste

Yorkshire 268; Leicestershire 5-1

The novelty of playing cricket on two successive days did not last long for Leicestershire and Yorkshire yesterday. A lunchtime deluge ended proceedings after 30 overs and eight hours' play had been lost on the first two days.

Of those who managed to get into the abbreviated action, David Byas went on to make 88 from 115 balls and Alan Mullally picked up another four wickets.

A pitch which had no doubt sweated under its covers overnight offered something to the quicker bowlers, but Mullally owed something to Yorkshire's worthy, though not always discreet efforts to be positive and make up for lost time. He bowled better for less reward the previous day.

Mullally also bowled an unacceptable number of no-balls, but with all the quicker bowlers running in tentatively on greasy run-ups normal judgement had to be suspended.

Byas's quick assessment of errors in line and length enabled him to collect another five boundaries with punchy strokes off front and back foot until he went after a wide one. Thereafter Yorkshire looked as though they could not wait to be bowling rather than batting, but no sooner had Peter Hartley plucked out Vince Wells's middle stump than the weather intervened.