Everyone ready?

We're under way across the grounds.

Lancashire have made one change as Saqib Mahmood finally makes his return to the fold having been increasing his bowling workload across previous matches. No Nathan Lyon as Australia 'monitor his workload.'

Keaton Jennings won the toss and the away side will bat first.

For Notts, after big second team runs, Tom Moores is in for Ben Duckett who is also 'managed out of this game' by his country.

Image source, Alex Hoad BBC Sport

There has been an emotional tribute to Josh Baker before the start of play at Canterbury.

A black-and-white image of the popular Pears player was shown on the big screen while his former team-mates, umpires and Kent players and staff gathered to remember him with a minute's applause.

It's a slimmed down Division Two fixture list this week with only four teams in action.

Leaders Sussex are unbeaten this season after two wins and two draws in their opening four matches.

They will be looking to extend their advantage at the summit in Cardiff against sixth-placed Glamorgan who are yet to taste victory this season after drawing all four games so far.

This round's other match sees bottom side Gloucestershire looking to make some headway up the table as they travel to the County Ground to face Northamptonshire, who start the day in fifth.

Surrey go into their home game against Warwickshire in an unfamiliar position - third.

With the double defending champions out of action last weekend, Somerset nipped ahead of them by a point, not that Surrey will mind as they did so courtesy of an impressive win over their title rivals Essex.

Essex remain top of the pile, two points ahead of Somerset, but Surrey can establish themselves as the summit by winning this game in hand against Warwickshire, who are winless, and 16 points behind them, yet remain the best of the rest in fourth.

Sean Abbott and Ben Foakes are back for the hosts, who have put Warwickshire in after winning the toss. Gus Atkinson is rested.

Sam Hain is back for the visitors who will hope they don't see him too early today.

Opener Alex Davies is the leading run-scorer in the country with 481 at an average of more than 96.

I have been given two games involving two sides shocked to sit in the bottom two as we now enter proper cricket weather.

Hampshire's potent new ball partnership of Muhammad Abbas and Kyle Abbott do not sit anywhere in the top 39 of the Division One bowling averages currently, even after a very wet and thus green-pitched start to the season with the Dukes ball now back involved.

Tom Prest of all men is the top Hampshire bowler in said list.

Can these two get firing today at home to a newly-promoted Durham side who love to play attacking cricket but have been thwarted by rain more than most this season.

Remember this game was abandoned without a ball being bowled at Chester-le-Street less than six weeks ago.

Lancashire bottom of the table after five rounds!

Well I never, noone could have predicted that more than a month ago, particularly not the ever ebullient Nathan Lyon who spoke candidly as always regarding his Ashes injury, coaching Joe Root and more with our friend and colleague Stephan Shemilt, you can listen here: Nathan Lyon on BBC TMS

In a bit of other news coming out of Lancashire this morning, his Majesty The King is to become Patron of the Club.

And also an impact report has been released this morning by the Lancashire Cricket Foundation. Excitingly showing a huge rise in cricket participation across the county with 110,385 participants in schools, clubs, and communities engaged during the past year.

Image source, Rex Features

Worcestershire will take to the middle at Canterbury this morning for the first time since the untimely passing of Josh Baker.

The left-arm spinner, who made his first-class debut for the Pears in 2021, died at the age of 20 earlier this month.

Baker's number 33 will be stamped underneath the club's crest on the front of the Worcestershire shirts.

"Wearing Josh's number on their shirts is a way for the team, and all involved with Worcestershire cricket, to pay tribute to his memory and keep his spirit alive on the field," said club chief executive Ashley Giles.

"It is clear from the outpouring of love we've seen, following last week's awful news, that Josh touched the lives of everyone who had the privilege of knowing him."

Flags are being lowered to half-mast at the Spitfire Ground St Lawrence ahead of the County Championship match against Kent.

Both sets of players will wear black armbands in his memory and before the start of play will gather in front of the pavilion for a minute's applause to celebrate Baker's life.

Image source, Alex Hoad BBC Sport

These two sides were tipped by almost every pundit to be scrapping at the bottom of the Division One table this season so it's perhaps no surprise that they are separated by a single point after four games.

How they got them is perhaps more of a surprise. Kent come into the game off the back of a thumping win over Lancashire at Old Trafford last week - their first win in Manchester since June 1997 when Daniel Bell-Drummond was only three.

The Kent skipper is the third-highest scorer in the top flight with 428 runs already, including two centuries, and averages north of 71.

Worcestershire meanwhile remain winless, but have collected three draws from their opening matches to lie a place below Kent in seventh, 14 points ahead of second-bottom Hampshire.

Jake Libby is also in the top-10 run scorers with 349 in just six innings and averages a hair under 70 while Kiwi overseas bowler Nathan Smith has 13 wickets in his opening five innings of the summer.

Bell-Drummond has lost the toss for the fifth time out of five as skipper and the visitors will bat first on what looks an encouraging barley-coloured track.

Means we'll get an early glimpse of Kent's new overseas, South African all-rounder Beyers Swanepoel.

Image source, Rex Features

Hopefully the sun is shining where you are as this lovely little spell of weather continues across the country.

Took it's time to arrive didn't it but let's just enjoy it while it's here.

We have six County Championship matches to look forward to across the next four days - four in Division One and two in Division Two.

So let's have a look at what's in store.