Rain stalls start of fourth Test
Michael Vaughan will have to wait to lead his team in the fourth Test
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Friday, 15, Jun 2007 10:20
The first day of the final Test between England and West Indies has been abandoned due to torrential rain.
Heavy downpours have caused flooding in much of Yorkshire and north-east England, and the rain has been falling at Chester-le-Street for the last two days.
The weekend forecast for Durham is marginally better, but play is still likely to be interrupted even if the teams do get on to the field.
Umpires Aleem Dar and Billy Bowden ruled out the prospect of play starting today after a second inspection at 12:30 BST.
Michael Vaughan's team have already gained an unassailable 2-0 lead in the Test series after a draw at Lord's and victories at Headingley and Old Trafford.
The bad weather has spelled trouble for other sport scheduled to take place today, with officials at York racecourse abandoning racing for both days of the June meeting today and tomorrow.
"By 08:00 BST, Friday was already the wettest day we have had in June since our daily records began, and we had more rain in six hours than the whole of an average June," said the racecourse's chief executive William Derby.
Day one of the county championship game between Yorkshire and Sussex was also called off.