All rounder Ben Kellaway will face the first ball of the session, to be bowled by spinner Nirvan Ramesh.

He has yet to get off the mark, having only begun his innings in the penultimate over before lunch.

Asa Tribe has 66 not out at the other end and his wicket is crucial to both sides this afternoon.

for Caleb Jewellpublished at 13:13 British Summer Time 8 September

13:13 BST 8 September

Middx v Derbys 106-1

Caleb Jewell isn't sure where that one has gone as he jabs the bat down in defence, but he takes a single off Olly Stone and reaches 50 from 71 balls. What an excellent signing he has been by Derbyshire.

No rain anywhere this morning which is a very good thing. Let's hope it stays that way during the afternoon session.

Mike Taylor
BBC WM commentator

Ed Barnard is an experienced and resourceful character, but he would have to have an especially strong constitution to not be rattled by his unfortunate experience in the final over of the Blast quarter-final, just 36 hours before the start of this game.

Whether that was in his mind or not, his opening spell today might have been a cathartic experience. The fifth seamer tried by Alex Davies after winning the toss and inserting the champions, Barnard removed Ollie Pope and Ben Foakes in the space of four overs.

Pope’s 50, a brilliant miniature, decorated the first session. His driving was a model of frictionless efficiency, converting apparently minimal physical effort into maximum speed on the ball. It was a surprise when a leading-edge off Barnard spooned over extra-cover to take him to 50, his first obviously false stroke, and a shock when he edged his next ball to Sam Hain at slip.

Surrey had glided along at five an over for much of the session, Warwickshire feeling their luck was still out after the early dismissal of Dom Sibley by Ethan Bamber’s outswinger. Rory Burns edged the new signing Nathan Gilchrist to the third man boundary three times in his first over, but held out to the interval. Foakes fell five minutes short, half-forward to the resurgent Barnard, and palpably lbw.

Division One

Essex v Durham 133-1

Somerset 114-2 v Yorkshire

Surrey 127-3 v Warwickshire

Sussex v Hampshire 81-3

Worcestershire 80-6 v Nottinghamshire

Division Two

Kent 122-1 v Lancashire

Leicestershire v Gloucestershire 129-2

Middlesex v Derbyshire 105-1

Northamptonshire v Glamorgan 115-4

We read a few days ago that the proposed revamp of the County Championship might be delayed until 2027 - or might not happen at all. A 12-game season has apparently been discarded, so the choice would appear to be between the status quo or a reduction to 13.

What do you think is the best option, get in touch and let us know your thoughts.

A hard fought session of play comes to an end with both teams making decent progress on what looks like a very good surface.

Glamorgan opener Asa Tribe was the mainstay with the bat and he will resume this afternoon on 66 not out.

He played some delightful drives off the bowling of Ben Whitehouse, who was a tad full with a bit of width outside off stump.

Luke Procter had a hand in three out of the four dismissals this morning, taking a catch off the bowling of Nirvan Ramesh at long off and having Zain ul-Hassan and Sam Northeast caught behind.

Image source, Rex Features

Derbyshire opener Caleb Jewell must wait as he reached lunch on 49 not out at the home of cricket.

The Australian needs one more run to reach 50 for the ninth time in the Championship and is only 11 short of 1,000 for the season.

He has added 86 with Harry Came - who is unbeaten on 43 - since Luis Reece was lbw to a big inswinger from Ryan Higgins.

Middlesex have tried six bowlers so far, including England paceman Olly Stone, whose first five overs after arriving from Notts on loan have cost him 26 runs.

Hampshire captain Ben Brown is on the back foot to drive Fynn Hudson-Prentice through cover and he will go through to lunch 10 not out with Toby Albert, who has 14.

A curious session of play that saw Ali Orr and Fletcha Middleton take the visitors to 28 in just five overs before Sussex wrestled back some momentum later on.

Ollie Robinson in particular has looked ever more dangerous in his second spell with awkward bounce off a length and Sussex will hope for more of that this afternoon.

Image source, Rex Features

Durham's morning, no doubt, starting with winning the toss and then piling on 133 runs for the loss of just one wicket - Emilio Gay, who became Doug Bracewell's maiden Essex scalp for 22 early on.

Alex Lees has breezed along to 62* off 89 balls while Ben McKinney has taken even less time to get to 46*, hitting 10 fours in his 59 ball innings this far.

A result for either side would be huge given the battle at the bottom, and with iffy weather lurking on Wednesday and Thursday, time might be of the essence.

Somerset will settle for that after being put in by Yorkshire on a green pitch at Taunton.

Archie Vaughan and Tom Lammonby fell in an excellent spell of 2-29 by George Hill, but Tom Kohler-Cadmore has met the challenge with positive strokeplay, hitting two sixes and nine fours in his 66 not out.

The opener has so far put on 84 with James Rew, who has 31, the pair coming together when Lammonby was bowled by an excellent delivery from Hill in the 10th over.

Yorkshire have India's Mayank Agarwal in their side for the first time in this match.

Lyndon James will see out the session and Matthew Waite cuts a loose ball through backward point for four.

A smattering of applause from the Worcester faithful in a chastening morning that saw the Pears lose six wickets including three in five balls to Josh Tongue and Dillon Pennington.

Four more cut away as batting looks altogether easier without the two aforementioned quick bowlers in the attack.

Notts completely dominate the session of play on a pitch that offered seam movement and bounce for Mo Abbas, Tongue and Pennington.

Plenty of work for the Pears to do this afternoon.

Image source, Rex Features

Ed Barnard had it on a string before lunch, beating Dan Lawrence all ends up from his first delivery to him, only to beat the edge by millimetres.

Ollie Hannon-Dalby sends down the final over to finish the session, with Rory Burns unbeaten on 49 from 70 deliveries with Lawrence five not out after stepping across his timbers to crack OHD through the covers for four.

This one sparked into life after a slow start with Dom Sibley going early before Burns and Ollie Pope added 49 runs in five brutal overs.

Pope departed for 50 and Ben Foakes (11) followed, both falling to Ed Barnard.

Nicely poised, this...

A decent morning for Gloucestershire against the promotion-chasing Foxes despite losing two wickets in successive overs to Josh Hull.

The left-armer removed Ben Phillips and Oliver Price in a spell of 2-21 from four overs, marred only by six no-balls.

Ben Charlesworth has batted well for his 68 not out, with the square cut and cover drive proving especially productive strokes for the left-hander.

Charlesworth collects three boundaries off Ian Holland in the final over of the session and he and Miles Hammond (28*) have added 74 so far.

Noah Thain somehow manages to deliver one short of a length, very short of a length, infact three yards behind the crease at the non-striker's end.

The ball slips out of his grasp mid-delivery and loops over the head of umpires James Middlebrook who needed to duck for cover.

He's all smiles, though, thankfully.

Double change at New Road. Seam bowler Lyndon James and spinner Liam Patterson-White are having a first bowl just before lunch.

Lunch will be taken at 12.30 by the way.

LPW is round the wicket to Gareth Roderick, who prods the ball away safely on the back foot.

Just the single off that over and we should have time for a couple more before the break.

So close to a breakthrough just before lunch, Miles Hammond is on the walk as Ian Holland fizzes one past the outside edge. Gloucestershire won't want to lose another before the interval with this partnership worth 61.

Alex Lees cracks the 23rd boundary of the morning through the covers to finish Noah Thain's second over.

Losing Emilio Gay aside, not far off a perfect session for Durham... so far, at least.