Essex hopes of recording their second successive victory in the County Championship were finally dented by heavy rain which swept across the ground with 11 statutory overs still remaining.

Having set Northamptonshire a target of 314, the home side were given an immediate boost when Ashley Cowan removed Michael Hussey in the third over.

Two wickets either side of the lunch interval swung the balance towards the bowling side as the visitors slipped to 57-3 but they were rescued from their tenuous position by Russell Warren and Alec Swann.

Playing defiantly, the pair defied the five bowlers used by Ronnie Irani to comprise a fourth wicket partnership of 95 that occupied an invaluable 31 overs.

Warren did survive a difficult chance to Stephen Peters in the gully off the bowling of Ricky Anderson when he had scored 10, but thereafter batted resolutely to reach a merited half-century from 111 deliveries that included eight boundaries.

Swann was on 47 when he played an indeterminate prod to a delivery from Anderson in the second over after tea to end the partnership. Tony Penberthy continued the fight with Warren but the loss of both batsmen in consecutive overs galvanised the Essex hopes.

Andrew McGarry accounted for Warren, 55, who flashed and was caught at second slip, and then Anderson found extra pace to have Penberthy caught at gully off the shoulder of the bat.

Essex were unable to obtain a further breakthrough until, with the dark clouds rolling in, Cowan found a ball to remove Graeme Swann minutes before heavy rain swept across the ground to force the abandonment of the match. Consolation for Essex was the news that the eight points they gained took them to the top of the CricInfo Championship table.

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