Close call for Will Young, who edges Jake Ball just short of Craig Overton at slip but survives the 12th over.

Overton comes close to removing the New Zealander himself with a ball that just misses the outside edge of a defensive push.

The last ball of the over is full on leg stump and glanced square for four.

Michael Jones targeting Simon Harmer at Chelmsford, hitting another six off the first ball of the spinner's second over.

The forecast is beautiful down here for the next four days so why are Durham in such a hurry?!

Oliver Hannon-Dalby over pitches minutely bowling to Fletcha Middleton and the opener drives down the ground for four runs as the ball beats the chase of Chris Woakes.

Woakes is into his sixth over of this spell and bowls wide of off stump to Nick Gubbins.

The third ball is straighter and driven through long off for three and Middleton taps a leg side ball behind square for three more.

How do you feel about making your Essex debut today, Eathan Bosch?

Wonder how long before the South African is brought into the attack... Essex have turned to the spin of Simon Harmer to try to break this opening stand.

And it's not worked out as they'd hoped - his first over goes for 16 as Michael Jones sandwiches a big six between two fours.

Image source, Rex Features

It's a fine piece of bowling by Craig Overton.

It was right up to the bat and Somerset needed that breakthrough.

Durham might be a tad lucky to have both openers still at the crease but they are starting to take full advantage of that fortune.

Michael Jones with a lovely wlo drive to deep extra cover for four at the end of the eighth over - that's the visitors' fifth boundary already.

Title-chasing Essex will want to break this partnership soon.

Nick Gubbins gets a bit of width from Chris Woakes and drives the ball through the off side for three runs.

He's well forward to Oliver Hannon-Dalby at the other end.

OHD pushes the ball out a bit wider and Gubbins leaves it alone.

Maiden over.

A double blow for leaders Sussex with the two Toms - Haines and Alsop - departing in the space of four balls in the same over by Leicestershire's Ian Holland, leaving them on 18-2.

Emilio Gay has passed 700 runs for the season for Northants and he collects his second four of the morning as they progress to 23-2 after seven overs in Cardiff.

No major alarms yet for Yorkshire, who are 25-0 after eight against Gloucestershire, with Adam Lyth 17 not out.

Lucky! Mark Stoneman edges Zak Chappell at Lord's, but the ball lands just in front of the Derbyshire slips and runs away for four, taking Middlesex to 17-1 after seven.

Ben Slater pounces on a bit of width from a full length ball, bowled by Jake Ball, driving via a thick edge through the off side for four.

A single off the next ball and Hameed is beaten by a hint of seam movement outside the off stump.

The fifth ball is short, wide and hammered through cover for four.

Ben Compton's turn to enjoy a couple of let-offs at Canterbury as George Balderson's vociferous lbw plea goes unrewarded, before the Kent opener edges the next ball to ground just short of slip.

Nonetheless, 32-0 off seven overs is a start the hosts - bottom of the Division One table, remember - will be very satisfied with.

Image source, Rex Features

Good to see former England and Essex skipper Keith Fletcher in action again at Chelmsford - even if it was only ringing the bell for the start of play.

He recently turned 80 years old. Hard to believe (for those cricket followers of a 'certain age').

Jake Ball bowls wide of off stump to Haseeb Hameed and the Notts captain leaves the ball.

But the fourth ball is over pitched and driven through the off side for four runs.

He gets a single off the next ball, turned into the on side.

There's little seam movement here on a fairly slow surface so this could be a long, hard shift for the Somerset attack.

Dom Sibley is rarely a man in a hurry in Championship games.

But after 12 dot balls, he receives a half-volley from Tom Taylor and puts it away to extra cover.

There's another one to end the over as a thick edge runs away through backward point.

Taylor needs to tighten up his line.

Alex Lees is living dangerously.

After evading slip a few balls ago, he's now the subject of a very loud lbw appeal from Jamie Porter, who has rapped the Durham opener on the pads.

Height the issue, we guess, as that was right in the middle of the stumps line-wise.

Glamorgan have their first wicket at Sophia Gardens with James Harris bowling Ricardo Vasconcelos for seven. Northants are 11-1 and Prithvi Shaw is now out in the middle.

It's a cautious start by Yorkshire at Scarborough, where they are 6-0 after four overs against Gloucestershire, while Sussex are 7-0 in the fourth against Leicestershire at Hove.

Following the first-over loss of Sam Robson, Middlesex are 10-1 against Derbyshire following a Sam Conners maiden to Mark Stoneman.