Lehmann pleased with Northants' performance as Bank Holiday rain has the final say

The County were in a strong position at tea on the final day, with the visitors reduced to 214 for six in pursuit of a victory target of 350, but then the rain started to fall in Northampton, and no further play was possible.

Northants will feel they were on course for a second victory of the season as Gloucestershire had lost their top six batters, including dangerous Australian all-rounder Cameron Green for 25, but they were left to wonder what might have been.

A positive result was made possible by Gloucestershire declaring 80 runs in arrears on Sunday, and Northants then made quick runs on Monday morning to set up the chase, with James Sales hitting 70 from 89 balls and Saif Zaib 56 from 65, and Lewis McManus (26no from 18) and George Bartlett (18no from 15) also doing their bit.

Gloucester then looked in a strong position at 171 for three, but a cluster of wickets saw the pendulum switch back Northants' way before the weather had the final say.

With the ball for the County, there were two wickets apiece for Liam Guthrie and Harry Conway, who was playing the final match of his four-game stint at Wantage Road.

“I thought it was a great game, and it was a good declaration by Gloucestershire to open up the game a little bit," said Lehman.

"We played beautifully in the morning to get the runs quick enough to give us enough time to get the overs in, but the weather has played its part and it would have been a great finish to this game.

"Four day cricket is certainly alive in this country."

On setting the target for Gloucestershire, he added: "Overs are always what we go on, so we would have had 82 or 83, so we get two bites at the cherry with a new ball.

“We didn’t think we’d get there until Saif and Sales got going in the morning, and that allowed us more overs in the game so both sides get a better crack at it.

“We were only trying to get 80 more runs and get to a 320 lead, but we got a few more and we probably needed them in the end, to be fair.

"It was really in the balance until we got Greeny (Cameron Green) out, and they probably would have shut up shop then, but Gloucestershire played the right brand as well."

Northants claimed 13 points from the draw, and that ensured they climbed off the bottom of the division two table - rising to fifth as they leapfrogged Kent, Lancashire and Middlesex who all suffered hefty defeats at the weekend.

The match marks the halfway point of the campaign, and the County find themselves 36 points adrift of second-placed Derbyshire and the second promotion spot, with leaders Leicestershire a long way ahead, 31 points clear of Derbyshore and 67 points ahead of Northants.

With a block of Vitality Blast games now coming up, the four-day season now takes a break until June 22 when Northants host Middlesex at the County Ground.