Bedfordshire's chances of winning the Eastern Division of the Minor Counties Championship disappeared at a soggy Knypersley on Tuesday.

The third day of their game with Staffordshire was washed out and Beds cannot now catch Lincolnshire, who had completed an innings victory over Buckinghamshire the previous day.

Both Staffs and Beds needed to win to stay in touch and the two captains waited until 3pm before conceding defeat to the weather.
Beds skipper James Knott said: "Had we won, we would have had a great chance of snatching the title because we play Lincolnshire in the last game, but the rain never looked like relenting.

"It seems to have been following us around for the last two years."

The match was delicately poised at the end of the second day with Beds 150 runs ahead with six wickets in hand. Both sides picked up maximum batting bonus points, with Beds rattling up 356-8 after being put in on the first day.

They struggled early on, losing their first three wickets for 52, but Andy Trott and Marcus Steed put on 116 for the fourth wicket before Trott was dismissed for 70.

Steed went on to make 89 and David Willey struck four sixes and six fours in a superb innings of 67. Andy Roberts (38) and Marc Jackson (37) maintained the tempo to see Beds to their highest score of the season.

The Staffs innings was dominated by opener Peter Wilshaw, who cracked 138 before being stumped by Knott off Roberts. It could have been a different story though for Wilshaw as he was dropped early on in his innings and rode his luck from then on.

Staffs went on to reach 331-6 and then claimed a couple of early wickets when Beds batted again. But Steed and Dan Bendon had got the innings back on track by the close and it was all set up for an exciting final day until the rain arrived.

Beds are not in action this weekend, the Lincolnshire match being played at Luton's Wardown Park on August 17,18 and 19.

Scores: Bedfordshire 356-8 (Steed 89, Trott 70, Willey 67) and 127-4. Staffordshire 331-6 (Wilshaw 138).