Welwyn Garden City and North Mymms played out a draw as rain took the edge of an eagerly-anticipated contest at Digswell Park.

In total 17 overs of Welwyn's innings in the Herts Cricket League Premier Division were lost to the wet stuff, leaving their hopes of victory bogged down.

The final overs finished well after 8pm and in dark and damp conditions but 14 points earned by the home side keeps them sandwiched in a still-tight pack.

North Mymms are just 10 points above them in fifth, nine adrift of third-placed Hoddesdon.

Welwyn Hatfield Times: Connor Emerton got Welwyn Garden City off to a good start against North Mymms.Connor Emerton got Welwyn Garden City off to a good start against North Mymms. (Image: Karyn Haddon)

Welwyn won the toss and chose to field first and they got off to a fine start too.

Connor Emerton got Rhys Wynne in the first over and then nine overs later Aiden Watterson found the edge of Nesen Jeyaratnam’s bat for 13.

And when Emerton managed to get a ball to viciously jag back and bowl Chanaka Ruwansiri for a duck in the next over, Mymms were 37-3.

An 88-run partnership in 19 overs helped Mymms repair some of the damage, but three wickets in eight balls put them back in trouble again.

Neil Bamford had crafted a well-made 68 off 92 balls but it needed a further two good partnerships to take the visitors from 130-6 to their final total of 255 in 56 overs.

Dharmarajsinh Jhala made a 24-ball 34 while wicketkeeper Richard Soulsby went on 54 in 58 balls.

Watterson finished with 3-55 while Mo Rizvi took 3-52 and Emerton 2-59.

Dylan Van der Westhuizen made 44 in reply and got WGC up to 79 in 21 overs but a lengthy stoppage for rain left their revised target of 169 off the remaining 13 overs for a win a nigh-on impossibility.

Their hopes of a draw looked potential in trouble too when Hamza Qayyum went on a run of four wickets which included a hat trick.

However, Rizvi remained at the crease and when he was caught on the boundary off the penultimate ball of the match, he had made 77 from 96 deliveries, bagging eight fours and two sixes.

Qayyum led the Mymms' bowling with 4-37 while Ruwansiri took 3-56.

Welwyn go to Hertford on Saturday while North Mymms are at Home Farm with Totteridge Millhillians the visitors.