Image source, Rex Features

And after bucket loads of wickets (127 across the nine games to be precise!), that is that for the first day of this round of County Championship action.

If you've missed any of the action, you can head to the cricket section of the BBC Sport website to read close of play reports on all nine of the matches.

We'll be back for the second day's play from 10:45 BST on Saturday.

Make sure you join us. Until then, thanks for being with us.

Division One:

Chelmsford: Essex 150 v Lancashire 141-8 - Uncontested toss

Taunton: Somerset 202 v Worcestershire 153-8 - Uncontested toss

The Oval: Surrey 211 v Hampshire 52-3 - Surrey won the toss

Emerald Headingley: Yorkshire 256 v Nottinghamshire 53-4 - Uncontested toss

Division Two:

Derby: Derbyshire 261 v Middlesex 45-3 - Uncontested toss

Emirates Chester-le-Street :Durham 91 & 13-1 v Kent 169 - Uncontested toss

Bristol: Gloucestershire 236 v Glamorgan 26-0 - Uncontested toss

Leicester: Leicestershire v Sussex 254-7 - Sussex won the toss

Northampton: Northamptonshire 147 v Warwickshire 113-3 - Northants won the toss

And we are all done for the opening day.

Close of play scores on their way very shortly....

Ed Barnard (27*) and Josh Tongue (7*) have ensured that Worcestershire reach day two still in their first innings after a fiery spell from Josh Davey.

18 wickets in the day, following the trend from around the country.

That final wicket adds another layer of intrigue to a brilliant day of cricket. Hampshire still slightly ahead?

That's your lot at Chelmsford.

Plenty of wickets have fallen and hard to say who'll be the more pleased at the end of it.

Lancashire will probably argue it's them after moving within reach of Essex's first innings and with a chance to build a crucial lead in the morning.

But, that late wicket to Simon Harmer just tips it back slightly once again.

Should be a fascinating second day.

Adam Whitty
BBC Radio Kent at Chester-le-Street

21 wickets, 273 runs, three innings.

The first day at Chester-le-Street belongs to Matt Henry. The New Zealander took 6-32 across both of Durham's innings to leave his side on top.

An intriguing second day awaits. Can Durham build a big score and make this very interesting, or could it be a two-day job that Kent (or indeed Durham) can wrap up in dramatic fashion?

Image source, bbc

Isabelle Westbury
BBC Sport at Emerald Headingley

Image source, Getty Images

It was a classic day of long-form cricket at Headingley.

If Notts were on top at lunch and things were about par at tea, Yorkshire will be the most satisfied at the close of day one.

Having posted 256, Ben Coad and Jack Brooks stormed through the Nottinghamshire top order.

Brooks bowled Nottinghamshire captain Steven Mullaney with the second ball of the innings and had them 6-3 at one point before New Zealand international Ross Taylor rescued things somewhat to take Nottinghamshire to 53-4, still 203 runs behind.

Into the closing stages of this opening day at Chelmsford.

Some watchful batting from Jordan Clark (22 not out) and Joe Mennie (10 not out) is edging Lancashire to parity in the evening sunshine.

All over for the opening day at Headingley.

Yorkshire will be very pleased with how things worked out as their tail wagged earlier to get them past 250.

Some big early wickets in Nottinghamshire's reply have put the pressure on the visitors, who will resume tomorrow with Ross Taylor unbeaten on 34.

Martin Emmerson
BBC Newcastle at Chester-le-Street

You couldn't make this up. This time last year Steve Cook arrived here with a great pedigree, but the South African opener struggled in the English conditions and by the time the Test series began against England, he was back home after being dropped.

In his first game against Notts he made 2 and 0.

Today it was the turn of Aiden Markram, the current South African opener to find out what this job is all about. His first innings lasted eight balls and his second three. And both times Matt Henry got him for a duck!

21 wickets have fallen now. Durham were out for 91 earlier as Henry took a 5-for in just nine overs. I wouldn't plan on being here on Sunday!

Thanks to a gutsy 54 from Heino Khun, a South African who has got to grips with conditions today, Kent ended up making 169 and a crucial lead of 78 in this low-scoring epic.

Chris Wood has come in ahead of James Vince for Hampshire, with six overs still to play.

Can Surrey sneak another wicket or two? It's Hampshire's day so far if not.

Not been a day that Aiden Markram will want to relive that often I'm sure.

The South Africa opener has been dismissed for a pair on the same day - on his Durham debut.

The 21st wicket of the opening day at Chester-le-Street falls as Durham's second innings gets off to a nightmare start.

Image source, Rex Features

We've ticked past 18:00 BST, but there's still action left to play on this opening day.

Will Lancashire get themselves slightly ahead in this one before the close or are more wickets on the way?