First v second in Division One as Surrey play Notts at The Oval
No play in eight other games because of strong winds and rain
Bottom two set to face each other: Durham v Worcestershire
Promoted Leicestershire looking to seal Division Two title
Glamorgan will be promoted if they win against Derbyshire with at least 19 points
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Surrey v Notts 86-1
Image source, Rex FeaturesDan Worrall has Freddie McCann driving on the walk and through it goes to Ben Foakes.
McCann clips the final ball of the over through mid wicket for a boundary.
We've now seen all 33 overs of seam today.
A bit of variation anyone?
Hard to believe, isn't it, that we have had no play in eight of our games because of the weather, but this was the lunchtime scene at The Oval.
Image source, Rex FeaturesSurrey v Notts 82-1
Matt Fisher gets first go from the Mickey Stewart end.
Five runs from the over including another one of those gorgeous Ben Slater cover drives for four.
Incidentally, Mickey Stewart will celebrate his 93rd birthday tomorrow - he's the oldest living England player.
Image source, Getty ImagesIt was announced earlier this morning that all-rounder Paul Coughlin will leave Durham at the end of the season.
His career, though, is by no means over as he has signed to play for Lancashire in 2026.
"I know Keaton Jennings and Michael Jones very well from our time at Durham together and it will be great to link-up with both again at Lancashire and meet the rest of the lads," he said.
Coughlin has taken 142 wickets and scored 1,968 runs in first-class cricket.
Surrey v Notts 77-1
Ben Slater nicks a single to get the scoring going this afternoon.
Freddie McCann's first thought after the break is to try to whack Dan Worrall away over the slips but he gets nothing on it before working the next away for an easy run.
Two runs from the over.
Surrey v Notts 75-1
Dan Worrall has the ball in his hands to get us going.
Ben Slater lets it go outside his off stump.
Still sunny and breezy in London.
Surrey v Notts 75-1
Right,
The players are back out at The Oval and we're ready to get going for the second session.
We still await any action elsewhere in the country but we've got the top two here going at it for the title, so that's not bad to be going on with...
Gloucestershire v Northants - start delayed
And so it continues....
Another delay in Bristol. Next inspection at 2:00pm.
*patience - noun - 'the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, problems, or suffering without becoming annoyed or anxious'.
Image source, Getty ImagesMatches starting on Wednesday 24 september
In case you were wondering, here's a reminder of who will be playing who in next week's final round of the 2025 County Championship.
Division One
Chelmsford: Essex v Somerset
Utilita Bowl: Hampshire v Surrey
Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire v Warwickshire
Worcester: Worcestershire v Sussex
Headingley: Yorkshire v Durham
Division Two
Cardiff: Glamorgan v Lancashire
Canterbury: Kent v Derbyshire
Lord's: Middlesex v Gloucestershire
Northampton: Northamptonshire v Leicestershire
Image source, Rex FeaturesGripping though the action has been at The Oval this morning, elsewhere we have seen far too much of this sort of thing (see pic).
No play has been possible at any of the eight other grounds because of rain and strong winds.
But, with a thank you to the writers of Blackadder, we are going to keep playing the mindless optimism card very strongly in the hope that situation will change this afternoon.
Whenever and wherever there is action, we'll tell you about it right here.
Surrey v Notts 75-1
A good session for Nottinghamshire after losing the toss and being sent in by Surrey.
Haseeb Hameed was dropped in the slips early in his innings but that miss cost only two runs before he was snaffled in the slips by a tumbling Ollie Pope off the bowling of Gus Atkinson.
Ben Slater (36*) and Freddie McCann (28*) have batted nicely with relatively few alarms.
Very evenly contested as you would expect from the top two sides in the country.
Surrey v Notts 75-1
Freddie McCann drives the penultimate ball of the session for four runs to bring up the 50 partnership with Ben Slater.
Surrey v Notts 69-1
Image source, Getty ImagesA maiden over from Matt Fisher but without reward.
Time for one more over from Gus Atkinson.
Surrey v Notts 69-1
Mark Church
BBC Radio London commentator
It's exactly what you'd expect from these two sides. Good bowling and good batting.
Surrey v Notts 69-1
Gus Atkinson is giving Freddie McCann nothing.
Bowling around the wicket he keeps the Notts batsman playing exclusively off the back foot.
Just the one run.
We should be able to squeeze in two more overs before we all dive off for a round of cheese and pickle sandwiches and a brew.
Surrey v Notts 68-1
Matt Fisher goes past the outside edge of Freddie McCann's bat.
There just seems to have been a bit more movement off the pitch in the past two or three overs.
Speaking to a couple of regular watchers at The Oval that does seem to have been a feature here this season, once the lacquer goes off the ball.
One run from the over.
Surrey v Notts 67-1
Gus Atkinson bends his back around the wicket to Freddie McCann and just gets it to nip away - too good to get a nick.
Same again next ball.
The final ball has McCann all over the place before it drops short of Ollie Pope.
A very good maiden over.
Lancs v Middx
Umpires will take another look at 12:30 but it looks bleak.
Surrey v Notts 67-1
Ben Slater caresses Matt Fisher's first ball of the 25th over for four runs.
Slater holds the pose after making connection - one where you know it felt good for the batsman.
The Notts man then judges a leave outside his off stump perfectly.