Daniel Bell-Drummond was philosophical after the wash-out against Leicestershire, despite improving his average with another unbeaten half-century.

Persistent rain put paid to the final seven sessions of what had started out as a hard-fought and evenly contested Division 2 clash at a soggy Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence, and it was abandoned as a draw on Wednesday afternoon with the sides taking eight points apiece.

After no play was possible after tea on Monday or on Tuesday due to bad light, match umpires Paul Pollard and Alex Wharf deemed the Canterbury outfield unplayable on the final day after overnight rain and drizzle.

Having elected to bat on the first morning, Leicestershire were in trouble at 19-3 but battled back courtesy of a club record fourth-wicket stand between skipper Mark Cosgrove (119) and Mark Pettini (97) who added 218 in 51.4 overs to pass their club’s previous best against Kent of 162, set by Albert Lord and John King at Leicester’s Aylestone Road Ground in 1923.

Pettini fell to the occasional spin of Joe Denly and Cosgrove was run out by the returning Sam Billings who flicked the ball onto the stumps with his back to the pitch.

Darren Stevens was the pick of the Kent bowlers with 4-74 against his old club while Matt Coles overcame blisters on his left big toe to claim 3-94.

Kent lost Tom Latham (9) when the hosts started their reply under the floodlights early on Monday, then in-form Denly (32) was trapped lbw to end a stand worth 88 with Bell-Drummond who finished unbeaten on 65 with Kent 117-2 when the light failed.

Bell-Drummond passed fifty for the fourth straight time and has now scored 218 runs in his last four Championshio innings, being dismissed only once, and 769 First-Class runs in total this season at an average of 153.8.

He admitted: “It’s just one of those things because the match had developed into quite a nice contest before the bad weather arrived.

“We started nicely with the new ball on day one and we felt we ought to have bowled better at Pettini and Cosgrove. But, to be fair to them, they batted well and got their side back in the game with a brilliant stand.

“They took their side to 240-3, so we did brilliantly after that to finally roll them over for 341.”

Bell-Drummond added: “It was tough under the lights when we batted. We lost Tom early doors and I found picking up the ball in that gloom especially tough, but I rode my luck and I’m happy with another unbeaten 50 to my name.”

He has 563 runs in Championship cricket and averages 93.83 for Kent, who are 11 points behind leaders Essex in Specsavers County Chamnpionshp Division 2.