Relive the opening day of the County Championship as it happened

Summary

Burns (90) & Elgar (75) help Surrey to 256-4 at Essex
22 wickets fall on day one at Taunton
Somerset bowl out Lancashire for 99; Leach takes 5-28
Somerset recover from 97-8 to 192 all out; Gregory 64*
Lancs close on 7-2 in second innings - trail by 86
Slater century takes Notts to 331-7 against Yorkshire
Barnard takes 6-50 as Worcs bowl out Hants for 191
Pears close on 68-4

Live Reporting

Gary Smee

Bad light stopping playpublished at 17:30 British Summer Time 4 September 2018
Division Two latest
Warwickshire are 184-6 against Durham, with Jonathan Trott on 57 from 145, but play has been suspended after 68 overs due to bad light.
They've been off for a while at Kent now.
Derbyshire are 241-9 against Glamorgan after Billy Godleman is dismissed by Graham Wagg just five runs shy of a century.
Gloucestershire are 196-6 against Middlesex.
Sussex have moved onto 323-8 against Leicestershire. Ben Brown and Chris Jordan's partnership comes to an end at 110, with Brown caught behind off Ben Raine for 60 but Jordan inching over a half century on 51 from 70. However, bad light has stopped play there as well.
Postpublished at 17:28 British Summer Time 4 September 2018
Essex v Surrey 245-4
Surrey are playing for the close now. It's dot ball central.
Four overs to go at Chelmsford.
Image source, Rex Features
WICKETpublished at 17:21 British Summer Time 4 September 2018
Leach c Croft b Livingstone 17 (Somerset 192 v Lancashire 99)
Lancashire finally break the last-wicket stand. But not before it's done plenty of damage...
Jack Leach edges Liam Livingstone to slip and Somerset's first-innings ends with a lead of 93.
Lewis Gregory is unbeaten on 64.
That's some recovery from 97-8.
WICKETpublished at 17:20 British Summer Time 4 September 2018
Moores c Raval b Bresnan 8 (Notts 321-6 v Yorkshire)
Yorkshire are fighting back late in the day at Trent Bridge...
Tom Moores punts one straight to cover to give Tim Bresnan a wicket in consecutive overs.
That's three wickets since the new ball was taken.
Postpublished at 17:15 British Summer Time 4 September 2018
Somerset 188-9 v Lancashire 99
Image source, Getty Images
Somerset's last-wicket partnership creeps up to 50.
Lancashire look flat.
WICKETpublished at 17:11 British Summer Time 4 September 2018
Mitchell c & b Edwards 41 (Worcs 66-4 v Hants 191)
Ah, Worcestershire's rock is now gone.
Daryl Mitchell sends a return catch to Fidel Edwards and the West Indian grabs it.
The hosts are in all sorts of trouble now.
WICKETpublished at 17:10 British Summer Time 4 September 2018
Duckett c Tattersall b Bresnan 80 (Notts 318-5 v Yorkshire)
Yorkshire are just about clinging on at Trent Bridge!
Ben Duckett nicks Tim Bresnan behind and is on his way for an excellent 80 off just 89 balls.
Postpublished at 17:07 British Summer Time 4 September 2018
Somerset 180-9 v Lancashire 99
Lewis Gregory and Jack Leach's last-wicket partnership is now worth 43. The lead is 81.
With Surrey faltering at Essex, it takes on even more significance in the two-horse title race.
WICKETpublished at 17:03 British Summer Time 4 September 2018
Pope c Harmer b Siddle 21 (Essex v Surrey 233-4)
Image source, Rex Features
Ollie Pope's gritty innings ends before it really got going.
The 20-year-old edges Peter Siddle to Simon Harmer at second slip.
He was at the crease for 82 minutes, striking just the one boundary - not the ideal warm up ahead of the England Test on Friday it has to be said.
Postpublished at 17:02 British Summer Time 4 September 2018
Notts 313-4 v Yorkshire
Yorkshire just can't stop leaking boundaries.
They've conceded 54 in 84 overs at Trent Bridge.
Bad light stops play at Canterburypublished at 17:00 British Summer Time 4 September 2018
Division Two latest
Northants have managed to halt their collapse, at least for the time being. They are 71-8 against Kent, who made 137 earlier, with Brett Hutton 14 not out off 17, having hit four boundaries, and Richard Gleeson 12 from 27. They're off for bad light.
Warwickshire are 162-6 against Durham, with Jonathan Trott passing a half century: he's 53 from 122.
Billy Godleman is inching ever closing to a century: he's on 95 from 174 for Derbyshire, who are 212-7 against Glamorgan.
Gloucestershire are 178-6 against Middlesex.
Sussex have moved onto 293-6 against Leicestershire, with Ben Brown (50 not out) and Chris Jordan (42 not out) closing in on a century partnership.
for Gregorypublished at 16:59 British Summer Time 4 September 2018
Somerset 174-9 v Lancashire 99
Image source, Rex Features
And another six off Keshav Maharaj to bring up Lewis Gregory's fifty.
It's been a stunning knock from the all-rounder in such a low-scoring game.
It could well be a match winner.
Postpublished at 16:57 British Summer Time 4 September 2018
Somerset 168-9 v Lancashire 99
Jack Leach, Somerset's number 11, is certainly no mug with the bat.
He's struck a couple of fours in his 14. Lewis Gregory continues to smash it at the other end - he boshes Keshav Maharaj for his second maximum to move to 46.
Somerset's lead is 69.
Postpublished at 16:54 British Summer Time 4 September 2018
Notts 300-4 v Yorkshire
Ben Duckett is racing along as Notts bring up their 300.
He pummels a Tim Bresnan half-volley through the covers, before finding the third-man rope.
Duckett is into the 70s on debut.
WICKETpublished at 16:48 British Summer Time 4 September 2018
Mullaney b Brooks 39 (Notts 292-4 v Yorkshire)
Boy did Yorkshire need that!
Jack Brooks puts the new ball to great use by knocking Steven Mullaney's off stump out the ground.
Cracking delivery by the Somerset-bound paceman.
Postpublished at 16:47 British Summer Time 4 September 2018
Somerset 149-9 v Lancashire 99
Somerset's lead is up to 50.
Precious, precious lower order runs for the hosts. Lewis Gregory is playing a super knock - he's on 37 in double quick time.
New ballpublished at 16:44 British Summer Time 4 September 2018
Notts 282-3 v Yorkshire
It's Yorkshire's turn to take the new ball after 80 overs.
They need a couple of wickets. And sharpish.
WICKETpublished at 16:42 British Summer Time 4 September 2018
Milton lbw b Abbott 5 (Worcs 48-3 v Hants 191)
Worcestershire's batsmen aren't finding life any easier than Hampshire's...
Alex Milton is the third to go, lbw to Kyle Abbott. He pushed a long way forward, but it looked to be in front of all three.
Daryl Mitchell, on 38, has watched it all unfold from the non-striker's end.
get involved
Get Involvedpublished at 16:40 British Summer Time 4 September 2018
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Richard Offord: No wonder England can't bat time in Tests, County Championship matches being played at the beginning and end of the summer makes for difficult batting, so batsmen are not used to spending time in the middle.
Although the Surrey and Nottinghamshire batsmen have shown it is possible to build an innings under grey skies.
New ballpublished at 16:38 British Summer Time 4 September 2018
Essex v Surrey 213-3
Image source, Getty Images
Time for a new ball at Chelmsford. Essex paceman Jamie Porter takes it.
What damage can he do as we enter the final hour or so?