EASTNOR’S ill luck with the weather resurfaced when the final two days of Herefordshire’s Minor Counties Championship clash with Cornwall were washed out.

The Clenchers Mill Lane club suffered in 2007 when the three-day match with Berkshire was abandoned without a ball bowled due to the torrential July downpour.

On this occasion, an intriguing finish looked likely after a total of 23 wickets fell on the first day.

Herefordshire’s decision to invite Cornwall to bat first was quickly vindicated when Danny Cox held a catch at short-leg from the bowling of Callum Stewart to dismiss Jacob Libby in the first over of the day. Stewart (3-36) also picked up the next two wickets with Greg Leighton, who had followed his father Jeremy into the county side to become Herefordshire’s first father-and-son pairing, plugging away, but without luck, at the other end.

Nick Powell (3-22) and Steve Bevan (2-1) as well as skipper Chris Boroughs and Charlie Griffiths, who picked up a wicket apiece, combined to remove the visitors for 128.

Herefordshire also made a poor start with the early dismissal of Dave Exall for a duck and the home side struggled to make progress.

Former Gloucestershire batsman Steve Adshead top-scored with 25 but, while there were other double-figure contributions from debutant Andrew Kimberlin (18), Griffiths (12 not out), Leighton (12) and Stewart (10), Herefordshire were dismissed with a first-innings deficit of 17. Seven of the Herefordshire batsmen were dismissed leg-before.

Cornwall found runs easier to come by in the second innings and had reached 80-3 by the close of the first day.

Heavy rain on Monday ruled out the chance of any second day play and, with moisture having got under the covers, there was no possibility of action on the final day either with Herefordshire having to be content with eight points.