Image source, Rex Features

A great day to welcome back county cricket with blue skies and some intriguing action.

A century from Jordan Cox means Essex had the better of it against the champions Surrey, while Sussex announced their return to Division One with three figures each for John Simpson and Tom Clark at Warwickshire.

The first century of the season came for Colin Ackermann of Durham at Nottinghamshire. Meanwhile, Yorkshire were bowled out for 121 before fighting back against Hampshire.

Kasey Aldridge took five wickets for Somerset against Worcestershire while in Division Two Derbyshire's Luis Reece produced the day's best figures with 6-52 against Gloucestershire.

You can get the full lowdown on the opening day on our cricket pages and we'll be back with you from about 10:40 tomorrow with the all the action from the second day's play.

Division One

Essex 356-4 v Surrey

Hampshire 164-5 v Yorkshire 121

Nottinghamshire v Durham 370-9

Somerset 187-4 v Worcestershire 154

Warwickshire v Sussex 386-5

Division Two

Derbyshire 127-2 v Gloucestershire 222

Glamorgan 229 v Leicestershire 65-1

Middlesex 260 v Lancashire 68-0

Northamptonshire 118-7 v Kent 231

Andrew Radd
BBC Radio Northampton

Kent's five-man pace attack enjoyed a superb final session to give their side control at the end of an action-packed day at Wantage Road.

South African Keith Dudgeon - on his county debut - set the tone by shattering the stumps of Ricardo Vasconcelos with the first ball of his second over.

Nathan Gilchrist, Jas Singh, Grant Stewart and Joey Evison also joined the party and reduced Northamptonshire to 118-7 at the close, still 113 behind.

Only Rob Keogh - starting his 14th season of Championship cricket with his county - showed the required level of application, compiling an unbeaten 53 as wickets clattered at the other end.

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Luis Reece may not have had better opening days as a cricketer as he has produced the day's best bowling figures of 6-52 after Derbyshire won the toss and chose to bowl

Graeme van Buuren (67) and stand-in skipper James Bracey (48) had threatened a Gloucestershire fightback.

Australian Caleb Jewell will have put Second Division attacks on red alert with his rapid 61 from 48 balls and the home side will look to press on tomorrow and build a first innings lead.

Lancashire's openers survive the final 25 overs of play at Lord's and they will be well satisfied with their efforts on the opening day of the summer at Lord's.

Middlesex were in a good position on 127-1 as Sam Robson (70) and Max Holden (69) added 122 - but thereafter Leus du Plooy's 41 was the only score of note as Tom Aspinwall took 4-32.

Michael Jones opened with Keaton Jennings for the Red Rose, with Marcus Harris given a middle-order slot, and they shared four singles between them in the final over of play, bowled by Zafar Gohar.

Jennings will start day two 41 not out, with Jones on 17.

Leicestershire end day one on top as their batters backed up a strong bowling performance at Sophia Gardens.

Ian Holland (3-40) and Tom Scriven (2-38) did the damage up front for the Foxes to reduce Glamorgan to 132-6 despite 41 from opener Eddie Byrom and Chris Ingram's 32.

Chris Cooke carved out a half-century but was last wicket to fall for 55 when he became the third victim of Leicestershire paceman Ben Mike (3-54).

The visitors lost Holland early, but Sol Budinger (36*) and nightwatchman Mike (18*) shared an unbroken second-wicket stand of 47 to stumps.

The Foxes trail by 164 with nine wickets in hand.

Ben Coad finds extra lift in the final over of play but there is no edge by Toby Albert as the ball flies through to Jonny Bairstow.

The Yorkshire captain only managed 10 when his side were bowled out in 34.4 overs earlier in the day - giving his wicket away with a loose uppercut off newcomer Sonny Baker.

Hampshire looked well in control when openers Mark Stoneman (46) and Fletcha Middleton (45) were together, putting on 70 for the first wicket.

But Yorkshire stuck to their task, with Jack White and George Hill taking two wickets each, and will be hopeful of restricting Hampshire's lead on day two.

Lyndon James in for his 17th over of a hard first day for the Notts bowlers after Haseeb Hameed won the toss and opted to field first.

Paul Coughlin and Matthew Potts eke out a single apiece and that's your lot for day one.

Fergus O'Neill (4-74) had the visitors in early trouble at 24-2, but a well-crafted knock of 116 from Colin Ackermann, supported by 52 from Alex Lees, steered the initiative Durham's way.

The Notts bowlers continued to chip away and looked well set when O'Neill removed Will Rhodes to leave the visitors 171-5.

But the middle and lower orders have shown real fight, as knocks of 45 from Graham Clark and George Drissell held up the home charge.

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A good toss to win for Essex and they've made the most of it.

Paul Walter fell five runs short of a third First Class century but Jordan Cox made no mistake with his 117 before being surprisingly bowled by Kemar Roach.

Tom Westley made an attractive 40 and they have power to add with Matt Critchley 45 not out alongside Michael Pepper.

Surrey tried all their bowling combinations but the Chelmsford pitch was relatively unresponsive although Simon Harmer will have been interested to see Dan Lawrence get the odd one to turn.

What a reliable workhorse Ben Coad is.

He is called up for his 14th over of the innings and having asked James Wharton to take his life in his hands at silly mid-off, strikes Brad Wheal on the pads.

It is too high and Wheal strokes the final ball away through the covers for three to retain the strike. That's what nightwatchers are for at this time of day.

A superb unbeaten 84 from Tom Banton and Tom Abell's half-century have put Somerset firmly in the driving seat after the wickets tumbled in the first two sessions.

Kasey Aldridge's five-wicket haul and three for Craig Overton ran through the visitors who slumped from 70-0 to 154 all out.

The Pears looked to be hauling themselves back into the match when they reduced Somerset to 39-3, but Banton and Abell (52) looked untroubled during a 101-run fourth-wicket stand.

James Rew (17 not out) then joined Banton and the pair have added 47 runs to move Somerset into a 33-run lead with six wickets in hand.

Notts are plugging away to take the final wicket as we move into the penultimate over of day one at Trent Bridge.

Josh Tongue's first ball is wide and Matthew Potts helps it past the slip cordon to the third man boundary for his first four.

Potts drives handsomely but straight to Haseeb Hameed at cover. Five dots.

Durham have ground out the runs today having been put in.

One to go.

Kevan James
BBC Radio Solent commentator

George Hill has just made the batters play, he's just bowled straight.

He's been rewarded with the wickets of Mark Stoneman, who he bowled, and now Tom Prest.

I think Prest will be disappointed there. I'm not sure if he's tried to play it fancy and get it on the outside half of his bat, but I think that's a bit of a soft dismissal.

up for Lancashirepublished at 19 overs

19 overs

Middx 260 v Lancs 54-0

Keaton Jennings finds the boundary off Blake Cullen as the Lancashire score passes 50 at Lord's.

Six overs to come after this one. Can Middlesex find a wicket before the close?

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What a day for Sussex on their return to Division One after nine years away.

Having collapsed to 40-3 with home debutant Ethan Bamber taking all three wickets to fall it could have got messy.

But no-one could have predicted Sussex would only lose two more wickets and add 346 runs.

Tom Clark's career-best 140 and an unbeaten 116 from captain John Simpson were the main contributors with James Coles also making a half century.

Without Chris Rushworth or Olly Hannon-Dalby the home attack looked a little blunt after the initial burst of wickets and they will likely be facing a big first innings score.

Sol Budinger lifts Timm van der Gugten for six and Leicestershire are 39-1, replying to Glamorgan's 229 all out.

Kent are pressing for more wickets at Wantage Road but Lewis McManus has just collected successive fours off Nathan Gilchrist. Northamptonshire are 96-5 after bowling Kent out for 231.

The Caleb Jewell show is over at Derby with the opener caught off paceman Marchant de Lange for 61 off 48 balls. Derbyshire are 95-2 following Gloucestershire's earlier total of 222.

Matt Critchley has quietly got himself to 44 not out.

We have just over three overs to go at Chelmsford.