Even contest shortened by rain

Leicestershire versus Gloucestershire, Specsavers County Championship, Day 2:

SCORECARD | Available through ESPN Cricinfo HERE

INTERVIEW | New loan signing Richard Jones spoke to BBC Radio Leicester's Richard Rae at stumps HERE

HIGHLIGHTS | The highlights of the second day are available HERE

REPORT | By Sam Chambers

The second day's play in the Specsavers County Championship match between Leicestershire and Gloucestershire was halved by the weather at the Fischer County Ground.

In a session and a half's play, honours ended pretty much even again, the Foxes turning their overnight score of 252-7 into 334 all out before the West Country outfit reached 69-0 when play was abandoned.

Beginning the day with the immovable Neil Dexter 107* and Clint McKay 8* at the crease, County's initial assignment would have been to nudge the score past the 300 mark and give themselves a total that, considering the difficult conditions and the likely further intervention of the weather, would be a decent total.

They started positively with number nine McKay stroking the first two balls of David Payne's opening over through the off-side for a brace of boundaries. Dexter, largely a spectator in the first two overs, got off the mark by gliding Payne down to the vacant third man position for four in the third.

McKay then heaved Liam Norwell, whose tight and disciplined bowling on the first day helped to slow the Foxes' scoring rate, over deep mid-wicket for the first six of the day in the 104th over.

The Australian looked in the mood to open up, playing freely and expansively, while Dexter, not to be outdone, drove a pair of Craig Miles deliveries away to the off-side for successive boundaries as the Foxes began to accelerate towards the 300 mark.

The 50 partnership was registered with a McKay maximum taken from the bowling of Kieran Noema-Barnett and Leicestershire had their third bonus point in the bank later in the over. The pair of McKay and Dexter had added 49 runs in the first 10 overs of the morning to start to pull County into a commanding position.

McKay survived a chance when, after he pulled Craig Miles into the air, Norwell, running in from fine-leg, couldn't hold on.

Unperturbed, he would continue in the same vein, hitting Miles through point for four to bring him within one of his half-century. A scrambled single brought up the milestone, with the ball running away to generously add four more to his tally. It took McKay to 54 off 47 balls in an innings that also included seven conventional boundaries and two sixes.

Number three Dexter would eventually fall for 136 from 312 balls, bringing to end an assured and accomplished innings. Chris Dent, with a fantastic bit of fielding, dived low to his right to take a fine catch at second slip off the bowling of Norwell and reduce the Foxes to 329-8.

Coming in in Dexter's place for his 'second debut' was Richard Jones, on a month's loan from Warwickshire. Jones was the recipient of a piece of good fortune to get off the mark, edging Norwell through the hands of Noema-Barnett at slip for four.

McKay (55, 56b) fell when he skied Norwell to mid-on and the awaiting hands of Miles and the final wicket of Jones (5) went after he edged Norwell into the gloves of Gareth Roderick for the seamer's fourth wicket of the innings. Leicestershire had added a quickfire 82, the majority attributed to the bat-wielding McKay.

In response, Gloucestershire's in-form openers Dent and Roderick, with lunch in sight, were happy to frustrate the County attack, making them work hard for any sign of a breakthrough. McKay and Jones, probing but finding little movement on a good wicket, were involved in an attritional contest with the two batsman, who moved to 21-0 at lunch from eight overs, Roderick 9*, Dent 10*.

Dent flicked the first ball of the afternoon session to the ropes while Roderick guided a shot down to the third man boundary a little later but the well-organised Gloucestershire openers were generally happy to keep the scoreboard ticking - rather than rattling - over.

Charlie Shreck was introduced to the action at the Pavilion End and along with the returning Jones, who charged in down the hill, continued to work hard. Their efforts, though, were yielding little reward as skipper Roderick brought up the visitors’ 50 with a cut to the off-side off Jones.

Fellow seamers Rob Taylor and Dexter would later join the fray in an attempt to make inroads but, like the other members of the Foxes attack, their endeavours were to no avail.

In the 28th over, the heavens opened and down came the expected deluge of rain that had been threatening since the clouds began to loom over the FCG around lunchtime.

Forcing the players and umpires to take refuge in the changing rooms and an early tea, Gloucestershire left the field with Dent (23*, 82b) and Roderick (34*, 83b) having worked hard for their runs.

Sadly the rain, true to form, would persist and Nigel Cowley and Steve Garratt had little choice but to call an end to proceedings shortly before 5pm.

Bowling figures for Leicestershire: McKay 7-1-19-0, Jones 8-3-20-0, Shreck 7-4-8-0, Taylor 3-1-3-0, Dexter 2.2-0-11-0