Somerset are making good progress after losing Andy Umeed to the first ball of the day, with a combination of edges and clips off the pads bringing them 24 from as many deliveries.

Lewis Goldsworthy and Tom Lammonby have shared those runs by a 2/1 ratio, with 16 and eight to their names respectively.

Image source, Rex Features

It is worth reminding county cricket fans that for these matches and the round starting on 9 September, the Kookaburra ball is in use.

It was not the bowler's friend when used in early season in April.

What difference will it make when the wickets are a bit more worn?

Yorkshire won the toss and opted to bat in the big Division Two promotion clash at Headingley - and that looks a solid call after just a couple of overs.

Finlay Bean has cracked a couple of boundaries off Toby Roland-Jones, while left-armer Noah Cornwell's first ball in Championship cricket was also dispatched to the fence by Adam Lyth.

If you also love listening to your county play in the County Championship, you can now access our ball-by-ball radio commentary on most smart speakers, as well as through this page.

Simply tell your smart speaker to ask BBC Sounds to play the fixture of your choice and the day of play.

So, for example, today you could say "ask BBC Sounds to play Nottinghamshire v Surrey day one".

Enjoy!

Lancashire skipper Keaton Jennings won the toss and has asked the visitors to bat first.

Experienced seamer Tom Bailey opens with a maiden to Hampshire opener Toby Albert.

The champions and leaders have opted to bat first at Trent Bridge.

Rory Burns, fresh from a career-best 227 last week against Lancashire, gets off the mark second ball to Brett Hutton.

Dom Sibley has to put a gallop on to get home.

That would not have been a good start!

Image source, Rex Features

Surrey picked up last week as if there had been no four-day break with a comprehensive innings victory over Lancashire.

The gap to Somerset, in second, is now 35 points. Not definitive by any means, but it would take a brave person to bet against Surrey from making it three-in-a-row from this position.

This week they have travelled up the M1 to Trent Bridge. Nottinghamshire were humbled up at Durham last week and sit just one point above the drop zone.

The visit of a team like Surrey could inspire or intimidate - we await to see whether it is the former or the latter.

Image source, Getty Images

Somerset are still in the running for all three domestic titles, but the prospect of a maiden County Championship success is the one that has dominated the dreams of the Taunton faithful for several years.

Those hopes remain alive as Somerset attempt to claw back a 35-point deficit on defending champions and front-runners Surrey – who are due to visit Taunton in the next round of fixtures.

Before then, Lewis Gregory’s men must deal with fifth-placed Durham – the architects of their most recent setback in the County Championship, having triumphed by an innings and six runs when the sides met at the Riverside in May.

A certain Ben Stokes claimed four wickets in each innings on that occasion and, while the England Test captain would have been unavailable for this one even without his hamstring injury, Durham will feel confident of causing Somerset problems again.

They demolished Nottinghamshire in the last round of fixtures, recording another innings victory as teenage seamer Daniel Hogg claimed a seven-wicket haul on his Championship debut.

Image source, Getty Images

Essex’s rain-affected draw at Hampshire last week left them 38 points behind Surrey but as direct of cricket Anthony McGrath said: “[Surrey] have a healthy lead but as we’ve seen in the past, one little slip-up and it opens the door.”

Three of their remaining four fixtures are at Chelmsford, starting against Worcestershire, and includes a visit from Surrey. Stranger things have happened.

Jordan Cox (pictured above) scored a century last week but was initially not named in the XI - with youngster Noah Thain taking his place. But England have now released him after not including him in the Test team today. He is currently hot-footing it over from Lord's.

The positivity is swirling around Worcestershire at the moment. They boosted their chances of avoiding relegation by beating Kent last week, and have Logan van Beek and Amar Virdi in the door for the remainder of the campaign.

Image source, Rex Features

The late summer resumption was not a happy one for Lancashire last week as they were Surrey-ed at The Kia Oval.

The innings defeat by the champions elect, coupled with results elsewhere, saw them sink back into the relegation zone.

Now they're back at Emirates Old Trafford to face fourth-placed Hampshire, whose slim title hopes were probably extinguished by their rain-affected draw with Essex at Utilita Bowl.

The Red Rose need a response with fixtures starting to run out.

Image source, Getty Images

Kent have a condemned feeling about them after losing to relegation rivals Worcestershire last week.

They are now 35 points adrift of safety and are reeling from five straight losses, although they have the positive news Charlie Stobo is fit again after a finger injury.

A sixth defeat on the bounce would give Warwickshire their first Championship win of the year, and ease their worries of a drop into Division Two.

Sam Hain has passed a late fitness test on the hamstring that kept him out in the draw versus Somerset and Jacob Bethell (pictured above) plays for the first time since being named in England’s white-ball squads to face Australia.

Image source, Rex Features

Yorkshire are on a roll right now, having rattled off three consecutive County Championship victories for the first time in over three years to tighten up the promotion race from Division Two.

The most recent of those wins, a four-wicket success against leaders Sussex at Scarborough, left the White Rose just nine points short of the summit as they prepare to take on second-placed Middlesex.

Relegated last season, the Seaxes are very much in contention to make an immediate return to the top level and strengthened their chances by overcoming Northamptonshire in the final session of a rain-affected clash at Merchant Taylors’ School.

Middlesex will be aiming to strike a decisive blow by repeating their victory over the Tykes earlier in the season – and the last time they beat Yorkshire twice in a County Championship campaign was 2016, when they held off their opponents to win the title in a thrilling last-day decider.

Division One:

Chelmsford: Essex v Worcestershire

Old Trafford: Lancashire v Hampshire

Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire v Surrey

Taunton: Somerset v Durham

Edgbaston: Warwickshire v Kent

Division Two:

Cardiff: Glamorgan v Leicestershire

Bristol: Gloucestershire v Northamptonshire

Hove: Sussex v Derbyshire

Headingley: Yorkshire v Middlesex

Only a couple of days left in August, no more Bank Holidays before Christmas, nights drawing in.

Enough of that melancholy! There is still a quarter of the County Championship season remaining, hooray!

The title, promotion, relegation - there is still so much to be decided, so stick with us over the next four days.