Yorkshire and champions Essex’s opening County Championship match of the season at Headingley was abandoned without a single ball being bowled.

Umpires Ian Gould and Richard Illingworth called off day four just after 10am due to the wet outfield.

Yorkshire head groundsman Andy Fogarty said there was no underlying drainage issue at the ground, just that the weather at the start of the year had been “the worst in 30 years I’ve known”.

“We’re trying to prepare pitches, trying to prepare the outfield and you get one good day in between seven or eight days of rain, there’s just nothing you can do,” he said.

It’s the first time since 1967 that a whole Championship match has been wiped out at the Leeds ground.

They have until Friday to try to make the ground playable, with Yorkshire due to host newly promoted Nottinghamshire.

The defending champions will host Lancashire at Chelmsford on the same day.