Image source, Rex Features

Quite how many times this season Nottinghamshire will find themselves prefaced 'table toppers' is up for question but they do this morning and there was no mistaking the conifdent stride taken by the Trent Bridge outfit against Durham in the first round.

Featuring a solid all-round performance from Josh Tongue on debut (a year after signing from Worcestershire after a catalogue of injury) his 5-66 (including 4 in 12 deliveries) in Durham's second dig, swung the match.

Essex will be fairly pleased with their opening effort against champions Surrey particularly given they had the Oval outfit on the ropes at the start of the final day needing 217 to avoid an innings defeat.

But it will be a frustration that they were unable to put the game away – Dom Sibley and Ben Foakes chief blockers for Surrey as Essex took just six wickets on a final day pitch at Chelmsford.

It is a nice match up at Trent Bridge which should produce a good contest.

Image source, Rex Features

Surrey are aiming for a fourth straight Championship title and could hardly have imagined a tougher workout than the one they received at Chelmsford last week.

Their rivals Essex racked up 528-6 declared then subsequently had the champions on the ropes at 180-6 on first innings and again following on at 81-3.

Ben Foakes (pictured) scored half centuries in both innings to help keep Surrey afloat and Dom Sibley resisted for 77 overs for a vital second innings 66.

The season doesn't get any easier today against a Hampshire side that finished second last summer.

Even without James Vince (who has moved to Dubai) and Mo Abbas (not retained as overseas player this year) Hampshire still boast a fine stock of fast bowlers, including Sonny Baker, recently signed from Somerset.

Spinner Liam Dawson and pace bowler Kyle Abbott are in fine form after they were instrumental in routing Yorkshire for a first innings 121 in their win at Southampton in the first round.

The pair took the last five wickets for just 11 runs in four overs.

Middlesex will be a little frustrated after coming so close to a last gasp win v Lancashire at Lord's.

The hosts had set the Red Rose a target of 309 in 67 overs and a Monday evening wobble saw the visitors slip from 240-5 to 247-8 in four overs.

George Balderson and Will Williams batted out the last seven overs for a nerve-shredding draw.

Derbyshire have got off to a great start this summer after a convincing 9 wicket home win against Gloucestershire.

The visiting team lost their last four second-innings wickets within 12 overs for 39 runs and all-rounder Luis Reece ended the game with 10 wickets in the match for the first time in his career.

Glamorgan began their campaign with a disappointing loss at home to Leicestershire by 10 wickets after conceding a first innings lead of 198.

Lewis Hill just missed out on an eighth career century in the first innings, run out on 96.

Northants also suffered a home defeat, going down to Kent by 145 runs in a low-scoring game in which only four players passed 50.

South African seamer Keith Dudgeon had a fine debut for Kent, with a second innings haul of 7-36.

The coin has landed in favour of the visiting captain and keeper Ben Brown at a sunny Oval and Surrey have been put in to bat.

One change for the home side since last week with pace bowler Dan Worrall coming in for fellow seamer James Taylor.

Hampshire are unchanged since their win at home to Yorkshire.

Image source, Getty Images

Essex pushed champions Surrey hard at Chelmsford but despite a mammoth first innings 582-6 and enforcing the follow on, they could not find a way past Dom Sibley, who battled for 66 in 77 overs to force the draw.

Tom Banton (pictured) set tongues wagging at Taunton with a club record 371 for Somerset against Worcestershire, but might the hosts have batted too long?

The Pears were routed for 154 first up but second time round, led by Brett D'Oliveira's 121, batted out 200 overs to end on a second innings 485-9 for the draw, still 31 runs behind at that point.

Elsewhere Notts beat Durham by eight wickets at Trent Bridge.

The hosts will be encouraged by the form of Lyndon James, who stroked a first innings 125 and pace bowler Josh Tongue, who took 5-92 in the second innings in his first Championship game since a long injury layoff last year.

Sussex began their new run in the first division with a high-scoring draw against Warwickshire at Edgbaston.

Tom Clark and Captain John Simpson both scored first innings centuries in a first innings 528.

But it was a less encouraging resumption to first division cricket for newly-promoted Yorkshire, who were beaten by Hampshire by five wickets at Southampton, with cheap wickets for Brad Wheal, Kyle Abbott and Liam Dawson.

Image source, Getty Images

'Cricket weather in April is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get'... as someone almost certainly once said.

Thankfully due to our colleagues at BBC Weather we do have a fair idea of what to expect across this round of matches, and the news is largely positive...

Today

Today will be another dry and fine day for most once any early patches of mist and fog clear from the south and west. Warm in the south.

Saturday

Tomorrow morning, cloud and showers will move into the south-west, but the north and east will be sunny. Cloud will become widespread during the afternoon with showers moving northwards into Scotland.

Outlook for Sunday and Monday

Unsettled and cooler on Sunday with variable cloud and scattered showers, these mainly across the north and west. Southern and eastern areas will be a little drier and brighter. Monday will see further showers, these mainly across northern and western areas.

Division One

Surrey v Hampshire

Notts v Essex

Durham v Warwickshire

Yorkshire v Worcestershire

Sussex v Somerset

Division Two

Lancashire v Northants

Kent v Middlesex

Gloucestershire v Glamorgan

Leicestershire v Derbyshire

Image source, Getty Images

Welcome to a sun-drenched start to the second round of County Championship fixtures.

Notts and Hampshire were the only sides to pick up victories in a thrilling opening round of games in Division One, beating Durham and Yorkshire respectively, so it's all to play for with some mouth-watering match-ups in store across the next four days including reigning champions Surrey hosting last-year's runners-up Hampshire.

With the weather set-fair across the nation and a full slate of matches, there's no time to waste, let's dig in...