Image source, Rex Features

Not a sign of rain as the County Championship resumed after a month's absence and several batters enjoyed themselves in the sun.

Alex Lees and Ollie Robinson both scored centuries for Durham against Essex and Dan Lawrence needs only nine runs to reach three figures after a good day for Division One leaders Surrey at New Road.

FInlay Bean and Adam Lyth shared a 307-run opening stand for Yorkshire and John Simpson, Ryan Higgins also cashed in, while Warwickshire's Olly Hannon-Dalby claimed his 350th first-class wicket.

Join us tomorrow from 10:30 BST for coverage of day two.

Division One

Essex v Durham 445-4

Kent 244 v Lancashire 38-1

Nottinghamshire 326-8 v Somerset

Warwickshire 51-2 v Hampshire 298

Worcestershire v Surrey 349-5

Division Two

Glamorgan 36-0 v Northamptonshire 279

Middlesex 342-7 v Derbyshire

Sussex 431-7 v Leicestershire

Yorkshire 348-3 v Gloucestershire

One over left tonight.

Luis Reece will bowl. This has been a tough day for Derbyshire after a great start, removing Sam Robson in the first over of the day.

They also reduced the hosts to 230-7 with a new ball four overs away from being available.

Toby Roland-Jones pushes the ball safely into the off side on the front foot.

The final ball is defended and Roland-Jones survives on 51.

But the biggest hero of the day was Ryan Higgins, unbeaten on 107.

That's his fourth century for Middlesex this season.

Keith Barker fires in a yorker and Danny Briggs just manages to dig the ball out.

A couple of close catchers come in and Briggs leaves outside off to reach the close of play.

Hampshire have the upper hand in this match after removing both openers in a dramatic mini session of play that saw runs off the edge of the bat as much as the middle.

Fletcha Middleton played the standout innings of the day with 74, while Warwickshire bowlers Oliver Hannon-Dalby, Craig Miles and Ed Barnard took three wickets each.

Job done by the Glamorgan openers, who survive the final seven overs at Sophia Gardens without being parted.

Eddie Byrom square cuts spinner Rob Keogh for four as both he and Billy Root reach stumps on 15 not out.

Opener Emilio Gay made 65 for Northants, but no-one else managed to pass 50 as they earned only a single batting point.

Gus Miller hit two sixes late in their innings before he was last to go for 40, as Timm van der Gugten, James Harris and Andy Gorvin all took three wickets.

Well that has changed the day.

The opening pair were doing so well but they go out in quick succession.

Alex Davies is beating himself up a bit on that.

It's still early days and the match can change dramatically but at the moment we're on course for a result one way or the other.

The Middlesex captain picks up a half century off 47 balls with a nudge to leg on the front foot off Anuj Dal.

Six fours and two sixes in that innings.

His last scoring shot also brings up the 100 partnership with Ryan Higgins in just 86 balls.

Nathan McAndrew completes a 50 off 72 balls with a square drive for four off Ben Mike shortly before the end of a dominant day for Sussex.

Put in by Leicestershire, they made hay in the sunshine, led by John Simpson, who finishes 180 not out.

He put on 156 with Oli Carter, who was caught and bowled off Scott Currie for 96, 70 with Jack Carson and an unbroken 101 with McAndrew, hitting 29 fours in his superb 251-ball innings.

Ian Holland took the first three wickets to fall and Currie also claimed three, but it was a tough day in the field for the third-placed - but so far winless - visitors.

Lancashire's day in the Garden of England.

Three-wicket hauls from George Balderson and Nathan Lyon made light of the Red Rose's decision not to include Jimmy Anderson in their line-up - despite the England legend travelling with the squad.

Lancs dismissed Kent for 244 in the battle of Division One's bottom two - and have amassed 38-1 in reply, albeit having lost opener Keaton Jennings for a duck and survived a couple of other scares.

What a lovely day it's been here at Worcestershire.

But it's been a difficult day for the bowlers.

Kyle Abbott bowls a no ball to Will Rhodes, who also picks up a single as Warwickshire score at nearly five runs an over.

The last ball of the over is short and swung through long on for four.

Four more runs to Alex Davies, edging Keith Barker wide of the slips.

Who would be a bowler? So annoying.

Late drama in the penultimate over at Canterbury.

Luke Wells twice edges Charlie Stobo - but one is millimetres short of first slip and the next flies over the cordon for four.

Jordan Clark crashes a wide ball from Adam Finch to the boundary as Division One leaders Surrey end day one in a good position at New Road.

After losing Rory Burns to the third ball of the day, half-centuries by Dom Sibley (76), Jamie Smith (86) Ben Foakes (52) and Dan Lawrence tilted the day in their favour.

Lawrence will start day three on 91 not out, while potential England team-mate Shoaib Bashir bowled 25 overs for figures of 1-93 in conditions offering very little to the home attack.

That's his fourth century of the season for Middlesex and it comes in dramatic style.

Daryn Dupavillon drops short and Higgins swings the ball into the Mound Stand for six.

His century comes in 152 balls and has included 10 fours.

A good effort in the end from Warwickshire.

The comeback was set up this afternoon by Hampshire losing those five wickets.

A good spell by Ed Barnard after lunch to get rid of Nick Gubbins and Fletcha Middleton. They were the two batters that were in and going along nicely having put on a 102 before that second wicket fell.

Apart from one or two others chipping in - it was a story of nobody actually going on and getting a bigger score.

This has been a vital eighth wicket partnership for the hosts after slipping to 230-7 this afternoon.

Ryan Higgins is nearing his century and takes the partnership to 50 off 47 balls with an edged drive to third man off the bowling of Sam Conners. He's on 92.

He's getting plenty of support from his captain Toby Roland-Jones, who takes three fours off the bowling of Anuj Dal, driving over the top and also down the ground.

Dal got a hand to one of those lofted drives but it wasn't really a chance.

Josh Bohannon showing Kent he's not completely in defensive mode, dispatching a very loose George Garrett delivery to the off side for four.

Surrey now appear to be in 'what we have, we hold' mode at New Road with just three overs to go before the close.

Just three singles have come from the last two, but Dan Lawrence is 88 not out, with Jordan Clark on three.