MARTIN Miller remains confident Bournemouth’s batsmen will find their form when the sun shines after the abandonment of their nip-and-tuck clash with Sarisbury yesterday.

Lions had been reduced to 50 for four off 17 overs as their quest for a winning total of 164 got off a nightmare start at Chapel Gate.

Opener Andrew Hayward fell to a first-ball duck, while Jake Hurley and Ben Bridgen fell for single figures before the wet weather kicked in.

Hopes had been high after Hurley (4-18) had made light work of Sarisbury’s lower order on the back of some tight bowling by Brad Schmulian (2-12).

But while Miller admitted his side’s Achilles heel was with the bat, Bournemouth’s skipper insisted the damp conditions had affected the scoring prowess of many sides this season.

“The match could have gone either way,” said Miller.

“We performed admirably with the ball after they had threatened to race away early on and controlled their innings well. It was an excellent performance.

“We lost early wickets again which has been the story of our season. Had we gone back out we would have needed around four runs per over which would have made for a very interesting finish and I would like to think we’d have got over the line.

"The rain has made for bowler-friendly wickets so not many people have managed to put on big scores. There will come a point where the moisture disappears and things will click into place.”