After a Dan Worrall maiden, Ed Barnard picks up the first run of the morning with a single to square leg off Gus Atkinson.

He has 49* from 72 balls.

Mike Taylor
BBC WM commentator

I think this is level but it took a very switchback route getting it to level pegging at the end of the first day.

Yesterday was a super day, the standard was really high. It feels like it really matters now, not that it hasn't for the rest of the season.

Surrey will be aware that Nottinghamshire are sprinting for the tape in the Championship as well. If Warwickshire finish strongly might yet crowbar their way into the title race. They have nothing to lose at this point.

It was attacking and competitive cricket on a pitch that certainly offered some help to the bowlers.

One run added in the first over and Freddie McCann drives Ben Allison down the ground for a couple.

Allison is round the wicket and McCann pushes defensively.

A checked drive down the ground is stopped by the bowler.

After a Jamie Porter maiden, Doug Bracewell takes the second over.

Shane Snater limped off in the final few overs last night with what looked a back problem. No word of an issue, but he opened up with Porter yesterday, so something to monitor.

The Welsh county have 14 overs to rack up maximum batting points and there has to be a chance of getting there with Asa Tribe.

The promising young opener is on 181 not out, the highest first class score of his career and he will face the Northants captain Luke Procter first up.

Timm van der Gugten has 18 and he battled through the second new ball, adding 41 with Tribe last night.

As well as Josh Hull (see 10:29 entry), Leicestershire have an injury concern about Ben Mike.

And so, very occasional bowler Sol Budinger - one first-class wicket to his credit - is into the attack early doors at Grace Road.

Sam Conners (18*) and Graham Clark (26*) resume the push for a second batting point - 14 overs to find 34 runs.

Essex need one wicket for a third bowling point, Jamie Porter takes the opening over of the day trying to find it.

The good news from Taunton is that they are under way on time after only 42 overs were possible on day one.

Jack White will bowl the opening over - James Rew is 54 not out and Tom Abell has three.

Ed Barnard (48*) and Will Young (35*) will look to swell their 85-run stand into three figures in sun-drenched SE11 this morning.

Dan Worrall takes the opening over of the morning, seeking to get the defending champions back on track.

Sussex opener Daniel Hughes will face Kyle Abbott to get the day started at sunny Hove.

Sean Hunt is one not out at the non-striker's end.

Hampshire had a great session of play to snare three wickets before stumps, but they cannot afford to ease up with a gap of 184.

You have to wonder where this game would be now had we not lost more than a couple of hours to rain yesterday afternoon.

Bright sunshine at New Road this morning.

Possible showers this afternoon.

The gap is 136 and the Pears cannot afford anything close to a flying start with the bat.

Freddie McCann will face Tom Taylor on 19 not out.

Ben Slater has 23.

The first day's play at Grace Road suggested that Leicestershire may have to be patient in their quest to return to Division One for the first time since 2003.

They need 21 points against Gloucestershire to seal promotion in this game - and they have two so far.

First order of business today is to knock over the visitors' tail as quickly as possible - but Josh Hull cannot bowl after sending down two balls yesterday deemed dangerous by the umpires.

Chris Wright bowls one ball to end the over interrupted by Graeme van Buuren's dismissal - Matt Taylor takes a single.

Image source, Getty Images

Day One was a treat, back and forth, momentum swings, proper Championship cricket.

After racing to 104-1 after being put in, a Surrey collapse of 84-7 either side of lunch saw Warwickshire wrestle back control, though Ryan Patel's unbeaten 72 from 67 balls almost pinched a batting point for the leaders as they were ousted for 246.

Tom Lawes produced a blistering five-over spell of 3-6 to reduce Bears to 47-4 in reply, but Ed Barnard (48*) and Will Young (35*) have steadied the ship and then some, with an unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 85.

Warwickshire trail by just 114 runs with six wickets in hand and with Notts in the driving seat at Worcester, Surrey will need points from this game to avoid going into next week's clash with their title rivals needing to win.

Patel (pictured), who dropped down the order to bat at six, said: "We certainly have to hit our straps and we need a couple of early wickets to get us back on top.”

It is sure to be a vital first hour this morning, for both teams...

Notts began this round in second place, nine points behind Surrey.

As it stands, that gap has narrowed to seven after the East Midlands side routed Worcestershire inside 53 overs and Surrey fell just short of a batting bonus point in their game against Warwickshire.

Worcestershire, meanwhile, remain prime candidates for the drop to Division Two despite fighting back from the mire of 37-5.

To survive in Division One from this point, the Pears would need big wins in their last two games and somehow to engineer a win with maximum bowling points in this game to end on 156 points.

Even then the team would need results to go their way involving the teams closest to them - Durham, Essex and Yorkshire.

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Both teams are mid-table and within 15 points of the relegation zone.

Under those circumstances, neither would have been entirely content with this Hove surface.

On day one we saw several short-pitched deliveries stick in the pitch, plus some sharp turn for the spinners.

Apart from a bright first five overs of the game, when Hampshire's openers were cruising at nearly a run a ball, scoring has rarely looked fluent.

To date only opposition captain Ben Brown has passed 50 - and he had to play some risky sweep shots after being dropped on 18 to get there.

Hampshire's first innings 226 may yet prove to be a par score after Sussex lost three in 22 overs last night.

Daniel Hughes struggled with the short ball early on but battled through to stumps and he'll resume on 17, accrued over 67 testing deliveries.

Sean Hunt has a single off 16 balls.

Somehow Sussex need to accelerate and not simply allow Hampshire's attack to bowl.

Image source, Getty Images

Today is going to be the day that we discover which way the pendulum is going to swing in this basement battle.

Durham won the toss and set off at a canter with skipper Alex Lees and Ben McKinnon putting on 134 for the second wicket, a Durham record against Essex, to take them to 189-1.

Lees fell to Simon Harmer six runs shy of a century but 20-year-old McKinnon motored on, bringing up his fourth first class ton with a towering six off Harmer, but a collapse of 5-51 brought Essex back into the contest, with McKinnon eventually falling for 121 to a fine delivery from Jamie Porter.

McKinney (pictured) said: “I enjoyed that. It’s a lovely track. It was a bit soft underneath and we took advantage, but actually there were a couple of divots that showed up. It could be a bit of a different day (on Tuesday).

"if those divots are still there hopefully we can utilise them and make more use of the wicket than they did."

Sam Conners and Graham Clark stood firm in the lengthening shadows last night, securing a second batting point and offering hope of a third, which seemed unlikely at 291-8.

Essex's 12-point advantage over Durham at the foot of the table remains the same going into day two, but it won't stay that way for long, one way or another.

Absorbing day incoming.

Image source, Rex Features

Leicestershire seam bowler Chris Wright admitted he had yet to decide whether to extend his career into next season after taking 3-56 on the opening day against Gloucestershire.

The Foxes were not at their best, but managed to secure two of the 21 points they need to be certain of promotion.

"We were a bit patchy with the ball. There was some good stuff in there but some not quite so good. The issue with Grace Road is that it's a good pitch, and a lightning outfield, so when you're not quite at your best, you can quite quickly leak runs," said 40-year-old Wright.

"It’s been a frustrating season for me. I did my knee in the first game. Next season? It depends if I keep bowling like that, to be fair. I want to get 600 first-class wickets, I'm a few away [he now has 596], so that's my first port of call, from a personal level, but we'll see.”