For the second successive season, Bedfordshire saw their final Minor County Championship opponents of the campaign end up as the champions of the Eastern Division.

Last year Northumber-land chased 425 in the final innings to snatch the title.

This season, Lincolnshire knew that they had only to draw and pick up seven bonus points to make sure of heading the table.

Which was just as well because with overnight rain embarrassingly getting under the covers at Luton's Wardown Park, there was no play on the second day making an outright result almost impossible.

With skipper James Knott dropping out through ill health the evening before the game, Bedfordshire were led by Jonathan Walford and for a time things went well with Lincolnshire struggling to 228-9.

But Gareth Clough (79 not out) and James Brice (41) put on 80 for the last wicket and three of the bonus points Lincolnshire needed were in the bag.

Bedfordshire then lost Dhaval Naik and Cameron Wake with only seven runs on the board and for Walford and David Willey it became a matter of survival in appalling light for the rest of the evening.

More rain meant that the players were on and off the field on the final day, but with little but pride to play for, the Bedfordshire batsmen were guilty of any number of injudicious shots with only Dan Bendon (39), Walford (24) and Willey (22) making double figures and six players failing to trouble the scorers.

Bedfordshire were all out for 101 and, following on, were 25-1 in their second innings leaving Lincolnshire as champions and Bedfordshire having to settle for a disappointing fifth place.

Lincolnshire will now play Western Division champions Berkshire who pipped Cheshire by one point.

Scores: Lincolnshire 308. Bedfordshire 101 and 25-1.