IT WAS another frustrating day in a frustrating season for two sides who will believe they should be residing higher in the Lancashire League table.

As Haslingden went to Nelson both teams were desperate to climb the league ladder but the weather was to have more of a say in the outcome than either side would have wanted - the game being abandoned at a prize of three points each though the replaying of the fixture is now the likely outcome after the rest of the programme met a similar fate.

The dreary drizzle that greeted the sides was more irksome than anything else as visitors Haslingden, replete with professional Ian Austin who was not required by county side Lancashire at Durham, decided that they would bat having won the toss.

But the dampness was to make it a hard grind for batsmen, bowlers and fielders.

With South African professional Wade Wingfield leading a tight Nelson attack Haslingden were finding it hard to make headway and with half their 50 overs completed they were struggling to lift the run-rate above two an over.

However, Nelson had their problems too and, despite two early wickets, victims were not readily arriving and when Austin was dropped having scored just 13 the job was looking all the harder.

Both sides were aware of the need to pick up the pace of the game, but they were both overtaken by the weather.

Austin and partner Neil Grindrod had just begun to set about pushing the pace when the rain also decided it was a time to be a little more robust and the drizzle turned into a determined downpour. With 32 overs completed Austin left the crease unbeaten on 37 and Grindrod on 31 and the wind was taken out of their sails as it rapidly became obvious that a quick return to action was never going to happen.

It left both sides frustrated.

Haslingden's hopes that they could have turned up heat with the bat were scotched, while Nelson's belief that their tight bowling would have given them a low target to shoot at were also dashed.

It left Nelson skipper Paul Garaghty pondering precisely the same problems he had going into the game - how to build on bowling performances that were handing them chances only for their batting form this season leaving them feeling a little less than confident of completing the job.

"We obviously missed a chance when we dropped Ian Austin when he was on just 13, but we did keep things tight," said Garaghty.

"We were able to put ourselves into a good position having completed 32 overs, but then the bowlers have done well for us from the first game this season.

"Everybody is chipping in and we are doing alright on the bowling side.

"However, it does need more of us to chip in when it comes to getting runs.

"We are not backing up our professional as we should be, but then I feel that has a lot to do with our being such a young side. "With competitive matches you are in need of getting runs to win games, but some of the youngsters could do with getting runs to help themselves gain confidence and build up their own games.

"Sometimes that doesn't go together and there are two sides to the argument as to what is most important .

"But to be honest personally I need to be getting some runs on the board myself before I can start bawling at any of my players," added Garaghty with total frankness.

And he also admitted that Haslingden's decision to bat was one he would have taken had the toss fallen Nelson's way.

"Is is exactly what I would have done," he stated.

"If it is a good wicket, and it is a very good wicket here, 99 times out of 100 you should bat and that would have been the choice I would have made."

Sadly there was more time out in the middle for the mallard and his mate who decided that the puddles on the covers over the square made for a nice habitat.