A bit of autumnal gloom at Hove but we're up and running nonetheless as Division Two leaders Warwickshire lock horns with rival promotion candidates Sussex, currently in third.

No toss contested here - as the visitors look to take advantage of damp and gloomy conditions in Leeds.

Play is due to start at 10:45 BST. Hats off to Yorkshire's Ben Coad, who received his county cap from Steve Patterson a few minutes ago.

The playing XIs...

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Pace bowler Jack Brooks hopes to mark his final Headingley appearance with wickets against Hampshire as a way of saying thank you to Yorkshire's supporters.

'Headband warrior' Brooks will join Somerset next summer after a highly successful spell with the White Rose county. which included back-to-back title wins in 2014 and 2015.

"I've had a good relationship with the supporters. I'm just one of those guys people relate to. Some of my cricketing heroes were the characters of the game, people with a bit of personality on the field," he told BBC Radio Leeds.

"It's better to go before you're forced out and if people are still wanting me to play here, I'd rather it was like that than wanting to get rid of me."

• 2013 - 37 wickets, average 24.54
• 2014 - 71 wickets, average 27.33
• 2015 - 69 wickets, average 22.24
• 2016 - 60 wickets, average 25.01
• 2017 - 23 wickets, average 37.60
• 2018 - 42 wickets, average 28.74

The situation at the bottom of Division One is not straightforward.

Bottom club Worcestershire are 30 points adrift of Yorkshire in sixth place, and the two sides meet at New Road next week - but the Pears will almost certainly go down if they lose against Essex.

Seventh-placed Lancashire do not have a game this week, and cannot be relegated by other results, but the maximum number of points they can reach is 136 so their situation is precarious to say the least.

A Yorkshire win over Hampshire, or a draw with a minimum of 11 points, would put them out of the Red Rose county's reach - and Hampshire only need four points to exceed Lancashire's highest possible total.

Image source, .

In Division Two, it's pretty much win or bust for third-placed Sussex against leaders Warwickshire as they are 21 points behind Kent, in second.

A draw will be enough to send the Bears back to the top flight - but that result would mean Sussex take no more than 13 points from the game.

In those exact circumstances, the maximum points tally Sussex could achieve this season would be 211, meaning that second-placed Kent could also seal promotion if they beat Glamorgan with 17 points or more.

Image source, .

There are only eight days of county cricket remaining this summer and this week, we will have ball-by-ball coverage on the first four, courtesy of our BBC 5 live sports extra and BBC local radio teams.

Yorkshire v Hampshire is the featured Championship game on 5lse, but you can choose the one you're most interested in from the links at the top of the page and rely on us to keep you up to date with what is happening elsewhere via this text commentary.

Image source, BBC Sport

Meanwhile at Leeds, overnight rain has delayed the start of a crucial game for the White Rose county as they bid to avoid relegation.

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There is plenty at stake for Somerset's Jamie Overton and Olly Stone of Warwickshire in the penultimate round of Championship matches.

Reports suggest the two young fast bowlers are under serious consideration for England's forthcoming Test series in Sri Lanka, external.

Overton will look to put a forgettable T20 Blast Finals Day behind him by trying to shake up newly crowned champions Surrey at Taunton.

Stone, meanwhile, aims to add to his 34 Championship wickets against Sussex in a game which could see the Bears clinch promotion.

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The result of the toss confirmed by the Sussex captain Ben Brown at a blustery South Coast.

The home side are unchanged - while Warwickshire bring in Ryan Sidebottom for the injured Chris Woakes.

Danny Briggs will make his 100th appearance in first class cricket.

Division One

Essex v Worcestershire, Chelmsford

Worcestershire won the toss and will bat

Somerset v Surrey, Taunton

Surrey won the toss and will bat

Yorkshire v Hampshire, Headingley

Inspection at 10.25, hope to start at 10.45

Division Two

Gloucestershire v Northamptonshire, Bristol

Toss at 10.30, hope to start at 10.45

Kent v Glamorgan, Canterbury

Glamorgan won toss and will bat

Leicestershire v Durham, Leicester

No toss, Durham will bowl

Middlesex v Derbyshire, Lord's

No toss, Derbyshire will bowl

Warwickshire v Kent, Edgbaston

Warwickshire won toss and will bat

After the euphoria of Saturday's T20 Blast triumph comes the harsh reality of a battle against relegation from the top flight of the County Championship.

Realistically, Worcestershire need to win both remaining games to have a chance of staying in Division One but they must take on last year's champions Essex without Moeen Ali.

Moeen's calm leadership was a key factor in their T20 success, but England will only allow him to play in next week's final fixture against Yorkshire, with a tour to Sri Lanka starting on 5 October.

It's likely there has been plenty of muttering among Pears supporters about that decision - and it's likely Moeen wishes he could be out on the field at Chelmsford too.

If there's any consolation, Alastair Cook won't be available for Essex.

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It's not been a great time for Somerset over the past few days.

Firstly, last week's Championship defeat by Hampshire ended their hopes of winning the title.

Then on Saturday, their attempt to lift the T20 Blast trophy was ended by Sussex at the semi-final stage.

There are though plenty of incentives for their game against newly crowned champions Surrey - they'd love to be the first side to beat them this season, and they need a maximum of 12 points to be sure of finishing as runners-up for the fifth time.

Leading run scorers:

• Rory Burns (Surrey) 1241
• Wayne Madsen (Derbyshire) 958
• Ben Slater (Notts) 941
• James Vince (Hampshire) 896
• Ian Bell (Warwickshire) 894
• James Hildreth (Somerset) 886
• Colin Ackermann (Leicestershire) 832
• Daryl Mitchell (Worcestershire) 819
• Ollie Pope (Surrey) 802

Leading wicket-takers:

• Matt Henry (Kent) 66
• Ollie Robinson (Sussex) 65
• Graham Onions (Lancashire (57)
• Tom Bailey (Lancashire) 56
• Chris Rushworth (Durham) 55
• James Harris (Middlesex) 54
• Jeetan Patel (Warwickshire) 53
• Ben Sanderson (Northants) 53
• Ben Raine (Leicestershire) 51
• Simon Harmer (Essex) 51
• Morne Morkel (Surrey) 50

Most wicketkeeping dismissals:

• Tim Ambrose (Warwickshire) 53
• Gareth Roderick (Gloucestershire) 48
• Ben Brown (Sussex) 47
• Dane Vilas (Lancashire) 46
• Tom Moores (Notts) 36
• Steven Davies (Somerset) 35

Thanks to BBC weather presenter Simon King for summing up today's forecast in a single word (see video below). If you want more detailed information, please nip over to the BBC Weather website and use the search box to find the town where the match you are interested in is being played.

The title may have been decided, but there's still plenty to keep us interested over the final fortnight of the County Championship season.

Although Lancashire and Worcestershire look favourites for relegation, even Essex in third place are still not mathematically safe from the drop.

In Division Two, it's a question of two from three for promotion, with Warwickshire, Kent and Sussex vying for a place in the top flight next summer.

Welcome to our coverage of day one in the penultimate round of matches. Play starts at 10.30 BST.

Image source, Rex Features