County progress to 129-2

Leicestershire versus Kent, Specsavers County Championship, Day 2:

SCORECARD | Available through ESPN Cricinfo HERE 

INTERVIEW | Paul Horton spoke to BBC Radio Leicester's Richard Rae at stumps, the interview is available HERE

HIGHLIGHTS | The highlights of the second day are available HERE

REPORT | Leicestershire’s batsmen produced a solid performance as weather continued to have a large say in the Specsavers County Championship game at the Fischer County Ground.

There were meant to be 104 overs of play but only 47.3 were possible among several stoppages, the Foxes progressing to 129-2 after contributions from Paul Horton (48), Harry Dearden (34) and Colin Ackermann (32 not out).

It was a good effort in the circumstances given conditions were generally good for seamers and the next delay was never too far away.

Umpires Jeff Evans and Russell Evans conducted an initial inspection at 9am and play was able to get underway on time thanks to terrific work from the groundstaff both yesterday and this morning.

Leicestershire were batting after Sam Northeast opted to forego the coin toss yesterday and Horton and Dearden made a solid start, taking the score to 27 without loss after 13.1 overs before a shower arrived.

Dearden was fully committed to defensive strokes while Horton found the fence four times, including a brace of cuts that were expertly guided away.

The right-hander progressed to 23 of the runs scored before lunch and the only half-chance was when Dearden nicked Harris, James Tredwell making a good attempt diving one-handed to his right at second slip.

The umpires hoped to start play again at 12.45pm but further rain arrived, scuppering a restart until 2pm.

Horton struck the first ball of the second session down the ground for four and immediately followed up with a drive through mid-wicket that also found the ropes. The batsman sent a sumptuous drive off Harris rocketing through a big gap in the covers to bring up the team’s 50 in the 20th over.

A couple of strokes also found their way down to the vacant third man boundary but Horton was dismissed two shy of 50, leg before to a Stevens nip-backer.

Ackermann got off with a mark with a stylish boundary through mid-on while Dearden’s first four, a delightful shot through cover point, was recorded from the 62nd delivery of his watchful knock.

The opener followed it up by driving Stevens through mid-off while Ackermann cut and pulled away. But the number three had a reprieve between those respective fours off Will Gidman and Coles, an edge off the latter just evading the right glove of wicket-keeper Adam Rouse.

Dearden doubled his boundary tally by striking Gidman down the ground and pulling the former Gloucestershire and Nottinghamshire all-rounder through mid-wicket with authority.

Ackermann’s fourth boundary, a textbook cover drive off Coles, recorded a partnership milestone but unfortunately the 55-run alliance was ended before the 39th over was completed. The all-rounder, operating around the wicket, angled one into Dearden that beat his forward push to finish a 108-ball stay.

Captain Cosgrove joined Ackermann and the duo progressed the score to 120-2 off 43 overs before tea was taken slightly before the scheduled time of 4.10pm with huge black clouds circling the FCG.

Conditions improved sufficiently to allow a 5.45pm restart and Leicestershire nearly lost a third wicket in the first over back when Ackermann edged Matt Hunn. The chance looked to be going at a good height to Coles at first slip but Rouse instinctively dived across. The 'keeper could only parry the ball beyond his teammate.

Cosgrove opened his boundary account by driving Hunn between fielders at extra cover and mid-off but it went dark again and the players again left the field, this time for the final time as another burst of rain was not far behind.