Derbyshire and Northamptonshire gave their full backing to the umpires after the t20 Blast game at Chesterfield was abandoned without a ball bowled.

There were boos from some spectators when the decision was announced shortly before 2.30pm with the picturesque Queen's Park ground bathed in sunshine.

But despite the blue skies overhead, the outfield was saturated after days of heavy rain with patches of standing water at the Lake End of the ground.

Umpires Nick Cook and Neil Mallender were left with no alternative but to call the game off and Northamptonshire skipper Alex Wakely said: "It's frustrating especially when it's sunny overhead and it looks like a great day for cricket but with the amount of rain they've had here, from the moment we turned up it was going to be difficult to play.

"We'll take the point, we are still top of the table and in a very good position. Like I said, it is frustrating because we are playing the kind of cricket where you want to keep going out and performing, momentum is a big thing in t20 cricket and everything has been going our way."

Derbyshire batsman Wayne Madsen, who scored an unbeaten 59 from 33 balls in Friday night's win at Worcester,  had no doubt the umpires had made the right call.

"We were very keen to play on the back of a win and it's disappointing we weren't able to get a game today but it's too wet underfoot and makes it dangerous.

"With fast bowlers running in at pace if they or someone slips over in the outfield the risk of injury is just too great.

"It really is muddy and wet, the water is just sitting on top so as frustrating as it is with such a beautiful day with the sun out it's just not going to dry.

"I feel for them (the umpires) because everyone is going to get on their backs but at the end of the day they have to make sure the players are safe and personally my feeling is it's not safe to play.

"I wouldn't want to be playing on it and I believe the call they made is definitely the right one, as disappointing as it is for all the fans but that's just the nature of the game we play."