County Championship returns after seven-week break

Edgbaston (left) and The Oval both host games as County Championship cricket returns to the crease

It has been 49 days since there has been any play in the County Championship - the longest break without any action since the great WG Grace faced the very first ball from Bobby Peel when the once grand old competition began back in 1890.

The last round of games finished on 3 July - and the past month has been all about the razzle and dazzle of The Hundred, accompanied by the still popular One-Day Cup and its glorious assortment of traditional old out-grounds.

But all 18 counties are in action and largely back at their county bases when red-ball cricket returns on Thursday at 11:00 BST, after its seven weeks in cold storage, for this season's final push.

So where did we leave them?

Well, Surrey, county champions in 2022 and 2023, are again top, having so far won six of their nine matches, on 157 points, 23 clear of Somerset, who are ahead of Essex (128) and Hampshire (120) in what looks a title race already realistically reduced to four sides.

Hampshire and Essex meet at Southampton, while Surrey host seventh-placed Lancashire, the last side to win at The Oval 14 months ago.

Treble-chasing One-Day Cup finalists Somerset, who meet winless Warwickshire in Birmingham, are also up against a side needing points at the wrong end of the table as the Bears seek to eke out a Championship victory for the first time since beating Middlesex at Lord's last September.

Kent sit bottom on 66 points, 25 behind Worcestershire, who they meet head on at Worcester in a basement battle.

But, while defeat for Kent would really leave them in peril, the Pears, on 91 points, are within touching distance of neighbours Warwickshire, the draw specialists on 96, Lancs (101), as well as Nottinghamshire and Durham, who are locked together on 102 points, prior to meeting at Chester-le-Street.

As to who might fill the two places to come up from Division Two next season, Yorkshire will be much boosted by having England discard Jonny Bairstow back from Hundred duty for this week's meeting with leaders Sussex at Scarborough, which will put him up against Ollie Robinson, one of his international team-mates.

That is a meeting of third versus first as Yorkshire (123) take on a Sussex side 27 points ahead of them.

Second-placed Middlesex are still away from Lord's, on the school ground at Merchant Taylors' as they play host to seventh-placed Northamptonshire, one of the teams at the wrong end of the table, yet still only 30 points off the second of the two promotion places.

Bottom club Derbyshire, who trail Northants by 19 points, are at home to the other One-Day Cup finalists Glamorgan.

Fourth-placed Leicestershire take on a Gloucestershire side in sixth, but just 12 points behind them - another meeting of potential promotion contenders.

Follow all the action as the BBC's County Championship live text resumes at 10:30 BST on Thursday.

Thursday's Fixtures

Division 1

Chester-le-Street: Durham v Nottinghamshire

Southampton: Hampshire v Essex

The Oval: Surrey v Lancashire

Edgbaston: Warwickshire v Somerset

Worcester: Worcestershire v Kent

Division 2

Derby: Derbyshire v Glamorgan

Bristol: Gloucestershire v Leicestershire

Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood: Middlesex v Northamptonshire

Scarborough: Yorkshire v Sussex