LANCASHIRE Colts’ Will Hale and Josh Bohannon hit half centuries before the weather reigned supreme to prevent any chance of a result at Parkside Road.

After being invited to bat, Hale and Bohannon both scored 75 as Lancashire Colts posted 253-5 from their 50-over allocation, as Sri Lankan professional Saliya Saman snared four wickets.

In reply, Ben Barrow and Marc Brown remained unbeaten as Netherfield reached 13-0 before rain caused abandonment, with both sides taking four points from the clash.

Harry Deardem was the dominant force in a first-wicket stand of 33 inside nine overs, with the left-hander finding the boundary ropes six times en route to a 27-ball 29.

The partnership was broken when Deardem edged Saman behind, with wicketkeeper John Huck producing an impressive catch, as Bohannon joined Hale at the crease.

The duo were the mainstay of the Lancashire Colts innings, taking the score to 139 in the 29th over before Brad Earl bowled Hale to claim his solitary wicket of the piece.

Their partnership of 73 proved the game’s highest, with Hale striking an array of boundaries around the ground, including 13 fours and a six.

Skipper Chris Laker and Bohannon added a further solid partnership of 57 inside 13 overs to take the visitors within sight of 200 for the loss of only two wickets.

Saman once again shouldered the majority of the Netherfield bowling and induced an edge from Bohannon which was claimed by Huck, with the right-handed batsman departing for 75.

His knock contained seven fours and a six, contributing massively to the Lancashire Colts batting themselves into a promising position with the best part of nine overs remaining.

Laker was the next to go, again caught behind by Huck off Saman, for 30 as the middle and lower-middle order added quick runs to push the total above the 250-mark.

Saman accounted for Harry Gee, who nicked behind for 12, as John Richardson and Brad Yates added an unbeaten 23 for the sixth wicket as Lancashire Colts closed on 253-5.

Netherfield’s Sri Lankan professional Saman ended with 4-63 from 20 overs while Earl ended with 1-51 from ten, as Mark Clarkson, Brad Airey, Ben Phillips and Nathan Chambers all failed to make a breakthrough.

The Netherfield reply only lasted 19 minutes before rain ensured a premature end to proceedings, with the home side 13-0 by the time umpires called time.

Barrow was unbeaten on eight while Brown was yet to trouble the scorers, with right-arm seamers Kieran Grundy and Ben Roberts sending down five overs.

Both sides had to settle for four points as Netherfield endured their second abandonment in as many days after their clash with Morecambe went the same way 24 hours earlier.