ONLY 28.4 overs were possible at on the second day of play at Fenners yesterday where Cambridge UCCE reached 76-2 wicket in reply to the Essex total of 406-4 declared.

Both wickets fell to David Masters who turned who was rewarded for an impressive spell although fellow pace men Alex Tudor and Chris Wright were punished for some wayward bowling by opener Richard Timms and Mark Bott.

The students had made pedestrian progress when they began their reply to the visitors substantial score and they had taken 15 overs to reach 28 runs when Masters struck for the first time. William Rist, having faced 45 balls to reach 11 drove a delivery firmly to cover where Tim Phillips took the catch.

Bowling from the pavilion end, the former Kent and Leicestershire bowler was the model of control economy sending down 10 overs for just 9 runs with six maidens although runs flowed from the opposite end.

Timms twice sent the ball to the boundary ropes off Tudor before Bott produced a couple of delightful boundary strokes including an intended flash over slips off the former England man to bring up the fifty.

When Wright was introduced into the attack, he also suffered some harsh treatment from Timms who produced a splendid cover drive for four and then sent the next delivery past backward point to the ropes to bring up the half-century stand.

However, when Masters switched ends to replace Wright, he broke the partnership when Tom Westley took a fine catch diving forward at mid-wicket to remove Bott for 27 as the weather closed in.

After just four more deliveries, heavy rain sent the players scurrying to the pavilion for an early lunch during which a hailstorm, sunshine and further rain ensued before the weather abated. However, with little mopping up equipment available, umpires Neil Bainton and Steve Garrett warned ahead of a 3.15 p.m. inspection that further rain would mean the abandonment of play and as the rain returned, play was called off for the day shortly after 3.00 p.m.

Mark Pettini and Ryan ten Doeschate both scored centuries on the opening day in a fourth wicket partnership worth 245 runs after the innings had subsided to 64-3 with the early loss of Varun Chopra for 11, Jason Gallian for 38 and Westley for a single. Pettini batting at number four played an assured and stylish innings reaching his century from 163 deliveries that included a six and eight other boundaries.

Meanwhile ten Doeschate was in his usual aggressive mode, reaching three figures from just 106 balls that embraced 16 boundaries including two sixes in an entertaining knock. Pettini went on to hit 153 not out whilst ten Doeschate retired out at tea with 146 runs to his name and just two runs short of equalling his highest score for the county.