Only 18 overs were bowled in the opening two sessions during which the hosts, having set Ronnie Irani’s side a target of 475, winkled out Essex nightwatchman Andy Bichel and opener Mark Pettini, both to slip catches.
The inclement weather clearly frustrated Worcestershire’s new coach Steve Rhodes, particularly when umpires Barry Dudleston and John Holder pushed for a prompt restart between showers only to find the groundstaff were taking a late lunch. It was Rhodes who raced to the dining room and got his staff to down cutlery to mop water off the sheets for the umpteenth time.
Having seen his side dominate the opening three days of a game they needed to win to leapfrog Essex into the second promotion berth, Rhodes watched the rain and tried his best to remain philosophical.
“We’ve done particularly well in this game and it was such a shame we let them avoid the follow-on by six runs,” said Rhodes.
“We tried desperately hard, but James Foster and Irani enjoyed a great partnership. I said to our lads there are times when you’ll only do as well as the opposition allow you to. That was one of them.”
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Rhodes has spent much of his first season improving relationships within the dressing room, work he believes will stand his side in good stead during the last three weeks of the campaign.
“I’ve tried to create an environment where people are happy and enjoy each other’s company,” he said.