Image source, Rex Features

Plenty of interest on day one of the latest County Championship matches, but no doubt about the star performer - Essex pace bowler Jamie Porter.

His 7-41 saw relegation-threatened Worcestershire bowled out for 94, with 75 wickets going down in total around the eight grounds.

Surrey showed just why they are the new county champions with an impressive batting display against Somerset, but the day's only centurions were Warwickshire's Ian Bell - who will surely be celebrating promotion very soon - and Middlesex opener Sam Robson.

Join us again tomorrow from about 10:10 BST as we take you through the second day's play.

Division One

Yorkshire 184 v Hampshire 79-5

Surrey 368-4 v Somerset

Worcestershire 94 v Essex 252-5

Division Two

Warwickshire 308-2 v Sussex

Middlesex 350-8 v Derbyshire

Leicestershire 316-8 v Durham

Glamorgan 186 v Kent 93-2

Gloucestershire 125 v Northamptonshire 4-1

The umpires have a chat in the middle as a dark cloud hovers over the ground - and Adam Lyth is brought on to bowl.

Kyle Abbott pushes well forward to defend. Nothing to keep short leg interested here.

Abbott grabs a single square on the off side... And that's it.

The umpires aren't happy with the light so we're done for the day.

Yorkshire might be the happier of the two sides - despite the slide from 70-2 to 184 all out, which looks like a handy score now.

There's a bit of low bounce and some movement to keep the seamers in the game and Hampshire will have to work very hard to reach parity - let alone an innings lead.

Steven Patterson continues bowling around the wicket and Alsop defends.

He's beaten pushing forward outside the off stump and stabs the next ball down between the slips and gully.

Alsop again steers just wide of the slips, the ball airborne for a little longer this time as it runs away for four.

Can he hang on? He does for now. Two overs to survive.

Jack Brooks bowls a short one to Alsop who punches the ball through the covers for three.

Abbott drives through the covers but can't get it past Gary Ballance.

Three overs left.

Ooh! Steven Patterson sends down a grubber that keeps low and just evades off stump.

Batting has rarely looked harder in the game.

Maiden over. Four left for Abbott and Alsop to survive.

Jack Brooks is coming on for a final burst...

Northamptonshire lose nightwatchman Brett Hutton - lbw for nought to an inswinger by David Payne - in the two overs they have to face before stumps at Bristol, but that won't have taken any of the gloss of a successful day.

Despite interruptions by rain and bad light, which meant only 56 overs were bowled, they managed to run through the home side for just 125, with Hutton claiming 4-65.

He was well supported by Nathan Buck (3-32) and the 33 added by Craig Miles (23) and Payne (23 not out) for the ninth wicket was the highest stand of a disappointing batting effort.

Easy to forget that Hampshire scored 13 runs in the first two overs of this innings.

Three slips in for Steven Patterson, who bowls around the wicket to keeper-batsman Tom Alsop, who pushes defensively to mid on.

Six overs remaining.

Glenn Speller
BBC Essex sport

A day of total domination for Essex with Jamie Porter once again the star performer with the ball.

He can surely count on winter employment of some description as career best figures of 7-41 in front of England selector James Taylor further enhanced his reputation.

His nagging accuracy was a study in discipline as he sent stumps flying on four occasions, and Worcestershire did not help themselves with a comedy run out of Ollie Westbury.

Essex's Murali Vijay then oozed class for his 85, the only surprise being when he was bowled off an inside edge and Tom Westley’s improvement also continued with a half century.

The visitors are going to need a huge effort to keep their survival hopes alive but on this evidence a return to Division Two seems the more than likely outcome.

Tony Palladino (4-66) has bowled his heart out to keep Derbyshire in this contest.

His dismissal of Sam Robson for 134 prompted a slide from 298-3 to 308-7 within five overs, with the bowler accounting for all four of those scalps.

But with Max Holden surviving unscathed on 96 the hosts will be the happier of the two sides.

He'll return to the crease within touching distance of a first Championship century of the season after four first class 50s in 2018 to date.

Every Leicestershire batsman reached double figures on day one against Durham and they can be satisfied with their overall batting effort despite no-one managing a major innings.

Opener Ateeq Javid's 58 was the highest score of the day, with Neil Dexter weighing in with 43 and Lewis Hill with an unbeaten 42 in the final session.

Wickets were shared between five of the seven Durham bowlers called upon by Paul Collingwood, with England's Mark Wood claiming 2-35 from 19 overs.

James Vince drives nicely to extra cover but can't evade the fielder.

Maiden for Steven Patterson.

Crucial for Hampshire that Vince and Northeast get through to the close.

Nightwatchman Harry Podmore blocks out the final over of play at Canterbury, with promotion hopefuls Kent in a strong position against Glamorgan.

The Welsh county were bowled out in 67.1 overs despite a defiant 80 by Jack Murphy, who was the last man to go as pace bowler Matt Henry finished with 4-45.

They will be glad to have got rid of Joe Denly for 30 shortly before the close, but Zak Crawley will resume on 56 not out and Kent have plenty of batting to come as they look for a victory which could clinch a place in Division One for next season.

Gary Ballance is the top-scorer so far - with 30.

James Vince leaves Bresnan outside the off stump and takes a single off the fifth ball.

Just the one run in the over.

11 to go till stumps.

A highly productive day for champions Surrey at Taunton as they look for their 11th win of the summer, with four batting points already in the bag.

Mark Stoneman (85), Rory Burns (78) and Jason Roy (63) all made notable contributions - Roy playing his first four-day game of the campaign - and South African Dean Elgar (pictured) was 72 not out at stumps.

Somerset plugged away on a fairly benign surface, but England hopeful Jamie Overton produced the ball of the day which flew to gully from the shoulder of Stoneman's bat.

Image source, Rex Features

Can he prize out another Hampshire wicket?

Sam Northeast is defending and then tries to force the last ball off the back foot but he can't get it past mid off.

13 overs left tonight.

Away from Hove and Canterbury, Middlesex opener Sam Robson has finally departed at Lord's, falling for 134 to Derbyshire's Tony Palladino, as the hosts declined from 298-3 to 308-7.

Palladino removed Robert White with his next delivery and dispatched James Harris and Martin Andersson lbw for ducks.

The home side are now on 335-7 with Max Holden resisting on 92 and James Fuller on 11.

Leicestershire have lost their eighth wicket against Durham with Callum Parkinson caught behind off Mark Wood for 13 and they are now 300-8 in the 90th over.

Play has resumed at Bristol, where rain and bad light has held up play - and Gloucestershire are now 107-9 against Northants.

Craig Miles was the last man out, bowled by Nathan Buck for 23.