Jake Libby fends off another sharp over from Tom Bailey.

The Lancashire quick is finding a super line and length.

He swings one away from Libby's defensive push outside off stump and beats the edge for the third time today.

Back-to-back maidens for Bailey.

Lewis Gregory is forward to Liam Dawson defending.

He plays back to the last ball and misses outside off.

That ball certainly turned. Wicket maiden over.

Anderson Phillip opens up from the New Road End and Jake Libby gets under way first ball, easing it off his hip for a single.

He tears in and beats the outside edge as Kashif Ali pokes tentatively at it.

Kashif gets a leading edge flies back up the pitch, but wide of the bowler.

Phillip strays onto pads and Kashif flicks it off his hip to get off the mark with a four down to fine leg.

More trouble for Kasey Aldridge, who is back and across to Mohammed Abbas, playing and missing the bowler outside off.

Aldridge is across to drive into the off side but doesn't clear the field. Good stop by Nick Gubbins.

Another play and miss!

Aldridge is a long way across the stumps to flick the fifth ball to leg.

He's missed it but it's not out. Probably struck outside off.

He gets away with a leg bye.

Lovely ball!

Tom Bailey has new batter Kashif Ali playing all around a ball which moved away from the right-hander.

So close to the outside edge. Cracking first over in this must-win game for Lancashire.

Tom Kohler-Cadmore breaks the shackles a little, scooping Liam Dawson to square leg for a couple.

The sun is breaking through at Taunton, which was shrouded in dark grey cloud a few minutes ago.

Just the two runs in the over and all the pressure is on the hosts.

Ged Scott
BBC Sport at New Road

Image source, Tony Marsh

Former Worcestershire captain Joe Leach has just started his final game for the Pears after 13 years' memorable service to the county.

Since making his debut in 2011, Leach has taken over 450 wickets in 139 matches, including 69 scalps in 2017 when he captained the Pears to promotion. But he also weighed in with a lot of runs too.

And the county marked his service with a framed limited-edition illustration, to "celebrate his journey through the years, from a young talent to one of our most respected senior players".

Lancashire will begin their hunt for precious points in the field after winning the toss.

Jake Libby and Gareth Roderick will get the Worcestershire innings under way with Tom Bailey taking first use of the new ball.

We've lost 36 overs and are down to 60 overs to bowl today.

But the forecast doesn't look promising for the rest of the afternoon so Lancashire will want to start quickly and make the best of what window they get.

The umpires had a long conversation with heavy cloud looming and are taking the players off.

Thunder showers are around the East Midlands today and if you catch one - especially with the covers off - it could be very bad news.

Don Topley
BBC Essex

Essex won a significant toss at Chelmsford and chose to bat on a sunny Autumnal morning. Essex selected their normal side, whilst champions, Surrey, rested Dan Worrall, Ben Foakes and Jordan Clark.

The home side lost Robin Das in the second over of the morning, as stand-in Surrey keeper, Josh Blake, took a good catch of Tom Lawes. Along with Blake, Ollie Sykes and Yousef Majid were making their Championship debuts.

That was the only wicket Essex lost all morning as Tom Westley looked majestic through the leg side with Dean Elgar dropping anchor and looking as ever watchful. One particular pull from Elgar to the Pavilion was brutal, and memorable.

With dark clouds arriving from the west, over Essex’s corporate boxes, light became an issue to umpires, Rob Bailey and Ian Blackwell but within a minute the heavens opened and an early lunch was taken.

Essex had made a most productive morning making 116-1 with Elgar on 54 not out and Tom Westley on 52 not out.

The heavy showers are still rolling in to Chelmsford we're afraid to say.

Image source, Rex Features

Mohammed Abbas continues to get bounce and movement with this ball but there's enough width outside off for Kasey Aldridge to leave the ball alone.

Aldridge is playing here though, forward and across to the fourth ball, which nips away from the bat outside off.

Now he's beaten on the inside edge with a loose drive.

Maiden over.

Liam Dawson is round the wicket to Tom Kohler-Cadmore, who defends into the off side.

Dawson is getting one or two balls to keep low here.

Maiden over.

It's very gloomy here at Taunton and there's a pause in play while we wait for the floodlights to come on.

Tom Kohler-Cadmore is down the track to Mohammed Abbas and hit on the pad. Not out.

He gets a single off the third ball, scooped to fine leg on the front foot.

Kasey Aldridge survives an LBW shout going forward to block.

That looked adjacent but that ball was moving a lot from outside off.

Going down leg? Aldridge survives and is still looking for his first run after eight deliveries.

Image source, Rex Features

Ed Barnard finding plenty of seam movement.

He twice strikes the pad of Ben Slater, too high for any appeal, before losing his line and going for four leg byes.

He finishes the over with another cracker that holds its line and beats Slater's outside edge.

Zero chance of any play in Leeds with the rain teeming down and the umpires have called it off.

That's a fourth game abandoned without any play today.

A slice of luck for Somerset as Tom Kohler-Cadmore is forward to Liam Dawson, edging the ball between keeper and first slip for three.

That might not have carried but certainly false stroke.

Dawson ends the over with a straight ball but the LBW is turned down.

Missing leg stump.

Unsurprisingly with so much moisture around, Lancashire skipper Keaton Jennings has elected to bowl first after winning the toss.

Hopefully play will start in about 15 minutes time...