Joe Root will bring up his century of innings for Yorkshire in this match.

This is his 99th with the previous 98 bringing a total of 4,086 runs at just under 46 with 11 centuries and 15 half-tons.

It's his 61st first-class match for his county and he's about to notch up 2,500 runs at Headingley

He's off the mark with a trademark punch and run just in front of point.

First change for Warwickshire, as Ed Barnard comes on for OHD.

A first appearance this morning for young paceman Sonny Baker, who's been mentioned in dispatches recently as an England prospect.

A mixed bag in Baker's first over, which goes for three runs. Will Rhodes is up and running now with seven to his name and Alex Lees has 11 - so overall a solid start for Durham after winning the toss and opting to bat.

Image source, Rex Features

Leaders Leicestershire's fine start to the campaign is continuing. Openers Rishi Patel and Sol Budinger have taken them to 38-0 against Northants.

Winless Glamorgan have made a flying start against Derbyshire, racing to 48-0 in the 10th over.

Lancashire have lost an early wicket against Gloucestershire at Old Trafford - George Bell was bowled by Ajeet Singh Dale to leave them 17-1.

Kent are also in a spot of bother at Lord's against Middlesex. They're 23-2 with Zak Crawley and Daniel Bell-Drummond the batters to go.

Kevan James
BBC Radio Solent commentator

The pitch for today’s game at the Utilita is a used one.

Two weeks ago the game against Somerset ended in a draw on this surface but there was a considerable amount of time lost to bad light and light drizzle.

On such a surface it’s always good to win the toss and bat first as Durham have done.

This pitch though has a good covering of grass amongst the bare areas.

The ‘carry’ through to the wicketkeeper is as good as at any time recently here in West End.

This makes these early exchanges against the faster bowlers a bit testing.

Mike Taylor
BBC WM commentator

That's the length that he [Olly-Hannon-Dalby] wanted. It just came back a fraction and Bess got forward but it was an awkward length - where the batter isn't clear whether he should be forward or back.

I don't think that was such a bad experiment in the circumstances for Dom Bess.

Having knocked off nearly half an hour of the new ball, I reckon that's not too bad.

Durham need to keep the scoreboard ticking along following Emilio Gay's departure and skipper Alex Lees collects his first boundary of the morning, driving Brad Wheal through midwicket.

Lees progresses into double figures, while Will Rhodes hasn't yet got off the mark.

Josh Davey gets one to sneak through Dean Elgar's bat, pads and the stumps, about the closest Somerset have come so far to a breakthrough.

Lewis Gregory's second ball nearly sees the departure of his former team-mate, but Dean Elgar's top edged pull fortuitously falls between the cordon and the boundary rope, plugging for two.

No change of ends for Craig Overton, Josh Davey into his fourth over and immediately back to his immaculate line and length again to Paul Walter.

It's taken 23 balls but Dom Bess looks like he's settled into his new role at the top of the order.

He's coped well in very organised fashion to Olly Hannon-Dalby's latest over - getting right in behind it, leaving well and finishing with a very nice on-drive to the fence.

With Somerset winning the toss and opting to bowl first on a green track, they might be fairly disappointed by this first half hour.

Paul Walter takes back to back boundaries off Josh Davey in his third over, but in fairness he only went for one run off the other 16 balls he has bowled so far.

Lewis Gregory replaces Craig Overton already from the Marcus Trescothick Pavilion End.

Having missed out on the Worcestershire game through injury, Durham opener Emilio Gay is enjoying the opportunity to be out in the middle again.

Gay has just taken three boundaries off four balls from Brad Wheal and the wagon wheel will show he's utilising the entire playing area - one behind square, the second to long leg and then a sweet on-drive that also raced across the rope.

He's on 19, with Alex Lees having six to his name so far.

Cue the Big Top music.

Yorkshire almost throw their first wicket away.

Dom Bess pushes Olly Hannon-Dalby to cover and takes off, then sends Adam Lyth back who is half-way down the pitch and gives up trying to get back.

The throw misses, so then the pair decide to run after all with the ball now in mid-on's hands. That throw also misses with Bess nowhere.

Somehow both batters survive. The Bears can't believe how. Bess gets a run.

It has not rained here in what feels like weeks, but Josh Davey has called for the sawdust!

I guess the greenness of the pitch, the amount of water applied has given him reason to think he may slip.

So it has taken nearly 20 minutes for the first four overs to be bowled, not at all good for the over rate, but so far without alarm.

Hampshire skipper Ben Brown needs to be on his toes in this over as Brad Wheal gets one to leap up off the surface and catch Alex Lees by surprise.

Probably worth noting this is the same wicket that Hampshire used for their last game against Somerset, so it might contain a few tricks here and there!

Wheal almost registers a maiden, but Lees ruins that idea by snatching a single off the final ball of the over.

Image source, Rex Features

No wickets in any of our seven matches so far.

A fairly sedate start to this opening day!

That first over for Dom Bess will remind him carving the Worcestershire attack to all parts from number seven is one thing, facing Olly Hannon-Dalby with a new cherry on a green deck is quite another.

He's done his best to negate the swing from the former Yorkshire seamer by coming down the track but most of that first over curved sweetly away from his advancing outside edge.

Bess enjoys another wedge of good fortune to his first ball of Ethan Bamber's next over - playing back to one that takes off a bit and nicks the shoulder of the bat and flies between keeper Kai Smith and first slip for four.

There's a huge heave to the next before Bess then stands up and punches through the covers for a couple from a much better stroke.

This experiment might not last long, but it should be entertaining...