Mike Taylor
BBC WM commentator

The good news for now is that it is dry here for the time being.

It's overcast, there is showers forecast for the rest of the day but at least we start so hopefully we get a fair chunk of cricket in today

Image source, Rex Features

Incredibly, we appear to have play in all nine games.

How long that'll last with plenty of weather about, who knows?!

Let's go...

Image source, Rex Features

There will be easier places to go looking for a first win of your campaign than the Utilita Bowl this season, particularly after Hampshire's rearguard against Surrey in the last round.

Nick Gubbins' defiant 117 in the second innings held Surrey at bay at The Oval and, for an hour or two, actually raised the prospect of a win. While it wasn't to be, Hampshire have made a bright start to the season.

Somerset lost by that big margin to Sussex last week, and will be looking to get their season kickstarted with a first win.

They will have to do so without Lewis Gregory with Alfie Ogborne coming in for the experienced all-rounder.

Sussex enter this second consecutive match at Hove with a spring in their step after posting their first top flight win since September 2015 against Somerset in the previous round.

And in truth it was a bit of cakewalk, too, with Paul Farbrace's side walloping the Cidermen by no less than 260 runs.

Surrey, who are without a win after two rounds following draws against Essex and, frustratingly given they were in a strong position, Hampshire at The Oval earlier this week, will provide stiffer opposition.

England paceman Gus Atkinson makes his first appearance of the season for the visitors.

Sussex will be without their nine-wicket seamer Sean Hunt after the bowler was injured on the final day against Somerset with Ollie Robinson stepping back in to the side.

Martin Emmerson
BBC Radio Newcastle

Durham have lost the services of batsman David Bedingham and bowler Daniel Hogg.

Bedingham, who was the leading run-scorer in division one last season, broke a toe in the last game against Warwickshire. Hogg suffered an ankle issue in the same match. So Graham Clark returns to the batting ranks and Paul Coughlin is back to beef up the bowling.

Durham have lost two out of two so far. Back in 2019 they lost their first four, so let's hope thay can avoid that this season.

Yorkshire give a debut to New Zealand fast bowler Ben Sears. He recently played in a one day series against Pakistan. He hasn't played in England before. Matthew Revis also returns from a stress fracture.

It's a mild morning in the north east and the wind has dropped too. Durham have won the toss and will bowl.

Image source, BBC Sport

Where do we stand on Yorkshire after a thumping loss against Hampshire in the season's opener and a record breaking win over Worcestershire in the last round?

Well this intriguing match up at Chester-le-Street may tell us where the White Rose are heading this season.

In Durham, who sit rock bottom after defeats to Notts and Warks (the latter which could have gone either way going down to the last wicket) Yorkshire may fancy their chances of a move in the right direction.

Particularly after a 504 run winning margin against Worcs in round two was the record for the largest victory by a runs margin in Championship history.

But Durham will be buoyed by coming within a wicket of victory against table-toppers Warwickshire and look unlikely to subside quite as accommodatingly as Worcestershire did at Headingley.

Image source, Rex Features

Warwickshire were involved in arguably the game of the round last week, pulling of a brilliant one-wicket win at Durham in an as-tense-as-it-gets finish on the final evening at Chester-le-Street.

Ed Barnard inevitably grabbed the headlines with his sensationally-crafted hundred to get the Bears over the line but 98 runs and seven wickets from Michael Booth proved just as valuable.

Young keeper Kai Smith's increasing maturity with the bat with twin half-centuries epitomised the air of freshness and excitement around the place under new head coach Ian Westwood.

The only thing that could make the Bears more buoyant ahead of today's match would be seeing the return of Olly Hannon-Dalby. And they've even got that.

Notts are boosted by the return of England fast bowler Josh Tongue, who will love to put one over on the Bears after all his formative years with Worcestershire, but are without another former Pear quick Dillon Pennington, who's out with a side strain.

Notts batting, as we saw at Essex, is in decent shape while seamer Ben Hutton keeps his place after an impressive first outing of the season in that same game.

Image source, Rex Features

In the end, a combination of a career-best knock from Jack Haynes and understandable apathy at chasing 350-plus at more than seven an over, did for Essex's hopes of forcing a first win of the season in the last round against Nottinghamshire.

Back at home, they'll fancy their chances of doing that against a Worcestershire side flattened by Yorkshire by 504 runs inside three days.

Given the manner of the Pears capitulation at Headingley - the defeat was their heaviest ever by runs, beating their old record, set 114 years ago, by 132 runs - Essex may view England's request to rest Sam Cook not as inconvenient as it might have been.

Cook's absence - in order to manage his work load ahead of a likely Test call-up against Zimbabwe next month - will be covered by the arrival of Sri Lanka seamer Kasun Rajitha, who's joined for the next five rounds.

Dean Elgar is also otherwise engaged - up to his eyes in nappies and multi-tasking to Olympic level after the arrival of his twins - and has been given more time with his new family.

All-rounder Jamal Richards makes Chris Silverwood's 13-man squad.

The only thing to match the pain of the result up at Headingley for Worcestershire was that felt by skipper Brett D'Oliveira, who dislocated his thumb during the match, but he does play today.

The visitors are without a batting point in their two games so far - rolled out of 154 and 162 in their two first innings and 105 in their second dig against Yorkshire.

All-rounder Ben Allison returns to his old club for the first time since moving permanently to New Road and will face his younger brother Charlie for the first time as a pro.

Division One

• Durham v Yorkshire - Durham chose to bowl first
• Essex v Worcestershire - Worcs chose to bowl first
• Hampshire v Somerset - Hants chose to bowl first
• Sussex v Surrey - Sussex elected to bat first
• Warwickshire v Notts - Notts chose to bowl first

Division Two

• Derbyshire v Northants - Northants chose to bowl
• Kent v Gloucestershire - Kent chose to bowl first
• Lancashire v Leicestershire - Leics chose to bowl first
• Middlesex v Glamorgan - Middlesex chose to bowl first

It's definitely a case of east is best today weather wise.

Here's what's on the menu...

Morning!

It's round three of the 2025 County Championship season and all 18 sides are in action.

The sun may be shining in Essex, but that's not quite the case everywhere.

Let's get cracking shall we?

Image source, Rex Features