Yorkshire Phoenix's Twenty20 Cup match against Lancashire Lightning at Headingley Carnegie today was abandoned over five hours before the scheduled start of play.

The match had been a sell-out for over a week and the only consolation for the 15,500 fans was that the early call-off saved them from a wasted journey on flooded roads through rush-hour traffic - if any of them had been so misguided as to think the game would still be on.

Yorkshire may have called the game off even earlier but it needed match umpire Peter Hartley to travel from his Keighley home to make the formal decision.

With large areas of the outfield under inches of water and the rain still hammering down, there was never the remotest chance of getting even a shortened game under way.

Yorkshire chief executive Stewart Regan contacted the England and Wales Cricket Board during the morning to see if the match could be switched to another day.

But this request was rejected as it was felt it would jeopardise the integrity of the competition because other teams had already had to share the points as a result of washed-out games.

"I completely accept the decision but it is still bitterly disappointing that very probably Yorkshire's showpiece match of the season should be washed away," said Regan.

"People who have bought tickets will be able to use them at any of our other home Twenty20 Cup games or at any other home day's play but if they cannot manage to do that they will be given their money back.

"Fortunately we are fully insured and will not lose money but we will miss out on the thousands of pounds which would have been taken at the club shop.

"It is the fans I feel most sorry for, however, because they have been denied what would have been a tremendous game."

It is also hard luck on the team as they have some catching up to do, having lost their opening Twenty20 game against Leicestershire Foxes at Grace Road last week.

Now they are hoping that things dry up for Wednesday's return match with Lancashire Lightning at Old Trafford.