Inspections at 11am, 12:15pm and 1:15pm (where an early lunch was taken) meant things didn't look good though and when a final inspection was made at 2pm, the rain had just started to lash down again, meaning that this time, the match was abandoned with no hope of play and not a ball bowled.

Essex (and myself-like today!) haven't had the best trips to Lord's for one-day matches in recent years. In the corresponding fixture two years ago again the match was abandoned without a ball bowled and in 1998 the Benson & Hedges Cup Final was rain-disrupted, before Essex won on the reserve day.

This leaves Essex still with three games to go to progress to the later stages, though with Surrey and Kent to play, Hampshire looks the only likely game to yeild two points, the others will be much closer.