Cricket: Washout means there's no play in Roses clash.

Byline: BY PAUL EDWARDS Daily Post Correspondent

THE rain which fell on Old Trafford yesterday morning mocked the optimism of those diehards who turned up fondly believing that a few hours of sunshine and a lively breeze would be sufficient to guarantee play on the second day of the 244th Roses Match.

It also managed to make an already soaked Lancashire HQ even wetter although it's getting difficult to believe that such a thing is possible.

A ground inspection originally scheduled for noon was put back to lpm. Covers, having been removed in a brief moment of coffee-time cheerfulness, were replaced on the square. The umpires took a swift glance at the surrounds and play was called off for the day.

The weather is not even showing any respect for cricketing tradition. The rain hosed down on the brash and glitzy Twenty20 competition last week and it has continued to fall despite the best efforts of the splendidly-named George Wigzell who took six wickets for Lancashire.

There is at least some hope of play today when the weather forecast is slightly better i.e. only six showers, not seven. The two teams remain keen to get on the field. There is probably, after all, a limit to how many card games even the most enthusiastic dressing-room devotee can manage.

No one, though, in this summer dedicated to St Swithun, is betting heavily on a complete washout being avoided.

But at least there was a vote of confidence yesterday for the Lancashire batsman, Mai Loye, from the Yorkshire skipper, Darren Gough, who believes that the opener should be in England's Twenty20 squad to be announced this week.

"Mai Loye is the hardest guy I've bowled at this year in Twenty20," said Gough. "He would be in the 14 or 15 man squad if I was picking it and he should certainly be in the group of 30 they're going to select."

Gough also offered encouragement to Lancashire and England paceman, Sajid Mahmood, who is currently recovering from a double hernia operation but is scheduled to return to action in next week's Championship match at Worcester.

"If England need a strike bowler and Steve Harmison isn't available, Sajid Mahmood is the next in line," said Gough who is England's leading ODI wicket-taker with 234 wickets, "He got all the tools you need to be an international strike bowler. When he's bowling well he's as good as anyone."

COLLATED SUMMARIES LV County Championship Division One The Rose Bowl Warwickshire 353-5 (D L Maddy 123,1J L Trott 50) v Hampshire Old Trafford No play Monday due to rain The Oval Durham 191 (P Mustard 70) & 204 (M J Nicholson 4-44) v Surrey 243 (S J Walters 70, 0 D Gibson 4-61) & 46-3 New Road No play Monday due to rain Division Two Chelrnsford Essex 700-9 dec (J S Foster 204, A J Bichel 148, G R Napier 125, RS Bopara 59, G P Swann 4-166) v Nottinghamshire 191-2 (M A Wagh 81 no, S R Patel 58 no) Grace Road Glamorgan 268 (B J Wright 108, D D Masters 4-44) v Leicestershire 379-8 (H D Ackerman 153, P A Nixon 126, JAR Harris 4-83) Southgate Derbyshire 340 (S M Katich 80, M G Dighton 68) & 7-0 v Middlesex 258 (E C Joyce 81, T Lungley 5-33) Northampton Northamptonshire 310 (U Afzaal 66, M H Wessels 57, S D Peters 55, S P Kirby 5-60) & 92-1 v Gloucestershire 250 (C G Taylor 112 no, J J van der Wath 4-54) Tour Match Hove India 388-7 dec (VV S Laxman 95, G Gambhir 81, K D Karthik 76, R Dravid 57) & 21-2 v Sussex 300-6 dec (A J Hodd106no, M H Yardy 53) TODAY (11.00 unless stated) LV County Championship Division One (day 3 of 4) The Rose Bowl: Hampshire v Warwickshire Old Trafford: Lancashire v Yorkshire The Oval: Surrey v Durham New Road: Worcestershire v Kent Division Two (day 3 of 4) Chelmsford: Essex v Nottinghamshire Grace Road: Leicestershire v Glamorgan Southgate: Middlesex v Derbyshire Northampton: Northamptonshire v Gloucestershire Quadrangular Tournament (1 day Dublin: Holland vWest Indies (10.45) Tour Match (day 1 of 3) Arundel: MCC v Sri Lanka A Tour Match (day 4 of 4) Hove: Sussex v India.

The weather is not even showing any respect for cricketing tradition

CAPTION(S):

Lancashire's James Anderson and Yorkshire's Matthew Hoggard inspect the saturated Old Trafford surface