Image source, Getty Images

Warwickshire opener Rob Yates described new team-mate Tom Latham as a "class" act after the New Zealander marked his debut for the county with an unbeaten 139 against the reigning champions.

Latham has made 21 centuries in Tests and One-Day Internationals for the Kiwis and he hit a six and 14 fours as the Bears cashed in on a pitch offering little to the Surrey attack.

"It was awesome to be out there with Tom. He looked class, which was no surprise - he plays the ball so late and times it beautifully," said Yates, who contributed 86 at the top of the order.

"We have had a good start to the season and to have the likes of Beau (Webster) and Tom coming into the side is great. Beau made a match-winning contribution on his debut last week and hopefully Tom's will turn out to be the same this week."

BBC Sounds

You can follow every ball of every County Championship match with the BBC this summer.

Along with our live text coverage our BBC Local Radio and 5 Live Sports Extra commentary teams will be out in force to ensure you do not miss a thing.

You can listen via the BBC Sport website and app but also on most smart speakers - just ask BBC Sounds to play the game you want but also state the day as well.

For example, ask BBC Sounds to play Sussex against Worcestershire, day two.

Image source, Rex Features

Essex all-rounder Matt Critchley remains optimistic that his side can regain the advantage at Chelmsford despite struggling with the bat so far in their reply to Yorkshire’s first-innings total of 216.

The home side laboured to 27-3 on the first evening, with medium-pacer George Hill taking two wickets after Yorkshire – having chosen to bat first – had collapsed from 108-1 to 216 all out.

Critchley, whose leg-spin brought him figures of 4-49, said: "I’m not sure about how to read the pitch. An hour into the day we thought it was going to be flat and not a lot of wickets.

"There was a bit of nip in it towards the end. Hopefully, as the game goes forward it spins a bit more for myself and Simon (Harmer).

"We’d obviously have liked a better last 16 overs with the bat, but we’re still in a pretty good position. We’ve still got a lot of batters left in the shed, hopefully we can push on for a big lead."

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Sussex all-rounder Jack Carson was celebrating after realising a long-held ambition to finally ‘become a batter’ with a maiden first-class century.

Carson’s 102 underpinned the fightback after Sussex went from 80-0 to 88-6 and helped them climb to 284 despite seamer Tom Taylor taking 5-5 in 33 balls.

The 24-year-old said: “I’ve been trying to be a batter for the past couple of years, and trying to get up the order for a couple of years, it’s just been missing that hundred."

Carson needs to now tap into the bowling which saw him take five wickets in the opening round against Warwickshire and not the version which has managed just one in the last three.

For Worcestershire, Taylor admitted Carson’s batting got Sussex off the hook, saying: “We got them in a really challenging position but we weren’t quite able to keep our foot on their throat and drive that home.”

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Marcus Harris has been a reliable run machine since his arrival at Lancashire this season – and Northamptonshire may have cause to regret squandering a chance to remove the Australian last evening.

Having been dropped in the slips on 28, Division Two’s leading run-scorer has advanced to 53 not out – the fifth time he has passed the half-century mark in just his ninth innings for the Red Rose.

Harris has converted two of those into big hundreds and a repeat performance at Wantage Road today would put Lancashire firmly in command as they seek to overhaul the home side’s total of 238.

His partnership with Matty Hurst (31 not out) has already realised 74, reducing the deficit to 105 – so Northamptonshire’s seamers, who picked up two quick wickets at the start of the innings, will need to make early inroads again today.

“Marcus has been excellent for us all year since he’s been here,” said Lancashire all-rounder George Balderson. “To have that international experience in our middle order around some of us younger lads, and for Hursty to be out there learning off him, was fantastic.”

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Glamorgan opener Asa Tribe insisted he was "more than happy" with his progress despite falling six runs short of what have been a maiden first-class hundred on day one against Kent.

The 21-year-old from Jersey has now made a half-century in four successive Championship games - two last season and two this - and told BBC Wales: "It's always good to contribute to the team and I felt good out there personally.

"I'm more than happy with my form, though I'd like to make those three-figure scores which I'm sure will come."

Ben Kellaway will resume on 91 not out, in sight of his first century, and Tribe added: "It shows Glamorgan have got a bright future since Kellers has been in unbelievable form as well."

"It's a beautiful day with lots of sunshine, and come this afternoon it's going to feel every bit as warm as it did yesterday, if not warmer. Just a bit of fair weather cloud here and there, with temperatures peaking widely across the country into the 20s."

Thank you, BBC Weather's Tomasz Schafernaker, that's just what we wanted to hear.

Division One

Essex 27-3 v Yorkshire 216

Nottinghamshire 333 v Hampshire 2-0

Sussex 284 v Worcestershire 7-0

Warwickshire 364-4 v Surrey

Division Two

Kent v Glamorgan 389-7

Northamptonshire 238 v Lancashire 133-3

Image source, Rex Features

What's going on here then? Actually, it's Glamorgan's Kiran Carlson putting some eye drops in during his innings at Canterbury yesterday.

Not quite sure what the arms outstretched body position of the backroom staffer means, though.

That said, we are in position and reaching out to you with full coverage of day two of the latest County Championship matches.

Play starts at 11:00.