Image source, Getty Images

Only one game lost a day to the weather in the opening round of County Championship matches and all six were played to a finish on the final day. In other words, an excellent start to the new season.

While Joe Root's unbeaten century for Yorkshire in their draw at Trent Bridge will make the headlines, with Gary Ballance also reaching three figures, Hampshire and Somerset are setting the pace in Division One following contrasting victories over Essex and Kent respectively.

In Division Two, East Midlands teams made the best possible start, with Leicestershire and Derbyshire both victorious, and an unbeaten 160 by Middlesex and England's Dawid Malan earned them a draw at Northampton - and provided more good news for national selector Ed Smith.

Thanks for your company over the last four days. We'll be back at 10:30 BST on Thursday for round two.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, PA

Reigning champions Surrey will be in action in the second round of Championship matches, which begin on Thursday.

They will be at home to an Essex side smarting from today's innings defeat by Hampshire and eager to repeat last September's thrilling one-wicket triumph at The Oval.

As usual, we will have full radio and text commentary coverage and here's a full list of the fixtures.

Division One

Hampshire v Yorkshire, Ageas Bowl

Nottinghamshire v Somerset, Trent Bridge

Surrey v Essex, The Oval

Warwickshire v Kent, Edgbaston

Division Two

Durham v Sussex, Riverside

Glamorgan v Northamptonshire, Cardiff

Gloucestershire v Derbyshire, Bristol

Leicestershire v Worcestershire, Leicester

Middlesex v Lancashire, Lord's

Division One

Hampshire 525-8 dec v Essex 164 & 274

Hampshire won by an innings and 87 runs

Nottinghamshire 408 & 329-5 dec v Yorkshire 291 & 277-2

Match drawn

Somerset 171 & 243 v Kent 209 & 131

Somerset won by 74 runs

Division Two

Derbyshire 197 & 334 v Durham 171 & 235

Derbyshire won by 125 runs

Northamptonshire 445 & 10-0 v Middlesex 271 & 317-4 dec

Match drawn

Sussex 173 & 308 v Leicestershire 252 & 232-3

Leicestershire won by seven wickets

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The final act of the match is Gary Ballance's heave for six that sees him end on 101 not out. England captain Joe Root finishes unbeaten on 130 alongside him after the pair shared an unbroken stand of 253.

It secures an unlikely draw for Yorkshire, with the pair having come together with the score on 24-2.

Nottinghamshire must have thought at that point there was an excellent chance of securing victory in their opening Championship match of the campaign.

From an England perspective, what a way for your Test skipper to start his season - 73 in the first innings and an unbeaten century in the second.

for Gary Ballancepublished at 17:03 British Summer Time 8 April 2019

17:03 BST 8 April 2019

Notts 408 & 329-5 dec v Yorkshire 291 & 277-2

Gary Ballance gets to his hundred with a sweetly struck six over the long-on boundary off Samit Patel's left-arm spin.

As "part-time" bowlers go, Ben Duckett is as firmly in that camp as is possible. Remember Alastair Cook bowling for England against India? Well it's kind of like that (I know Cook got a wicket).

But Notts are also putting all of their fielders on the boundary for the bowling of Samit Patel.

Joe Root is 126 not out with Gary Ballance on 95.

It's 177 to win for Yorkshire from 18 overs - surely that's just as fanciful now as it ever was?

An unedifying end to a game in which Northants batted and bowled well, enforced the follow-on and were then denied victory by an excellent century by Middlesex skipper Dawid Malan.

The left-hander's unbeaten 160 contained a six and 281, and with Ed Smith on the premises to see him bat, it can only have boosted his chances of an England recall.

Nathan Buck had match figures of 8-107 for Northants.

After a burst of two overs for four runs, Stevie Eskinazi comes out of the attack and Middlesex call up wicketkeeper John Simpson as first change.

After conceding two runs, he makes way for Sam Robson, who takes over from Eoin Morgan.

We don't want to get too opinionated here, but if you are going to have a rule to punish teams for slow over-rates, surely it shouldn't be possible to circumvent that rule as easily as this?

This match has taken an odd turn.

Ben Duckett, who has kept wicket for plenty of his career, is now throwing down some medium pace deliveries to Joe Root and Gary Ballance, with NINE fielders on the fence.

All of a sudden, Nottinghamshire seem like they're genuinely worried they could lose.

Yorkshire need 189 runs from the final 20 overs.

If someone asked you to name a Middlesex new-ball bowler, how many of you would answer 'Eoin Morgan'?

He sends down a maiden to Ricardo Vasconcelos and now it's Stevie Eskinazi from the other end.

Wonder what the batsmen make of this, knowing they are just hanging around while the other side lift their over-rate?

FYI, Morgan has two first-class wickets to his credit, but Eskinazi is turning his arm over for the first time.

I know I said Joe Root was very Joe Root in how he got to his hundred.

Judge for yourselves.

By the way, he hasn't let up since - the England skipper's already on to 116.

Dawid Malan declares Middlesex's second innings three balls into Ricardo Vasconcelos' maiden over in first-class cricket with his side 143 in front.

Malan made 160 and Eoin Morgan 36 in an unbroken stand of 93 and the visitors, who followed on, will now look to boost their over-rate before the game comes to an end.

In theory, there are 21 overs remaining. Doubt we'll see all of them.

for Joe Rootpublished at 16:34 British Summer Time 8 April 2019

16:34 BST 8 April 2019

Notts 408 & 329-5 dec v Yorkshire 291 & 234-2

Image source, Getty Images

Could Joe Root have gone to three figures in truer Joe Root fashion?

Jake Ball pitches one up outside off stump and he cover drives beautifully for four. This has been a superb knock from the England captain, containing 16 boundaries and taking 146 balls.

Most crucially for Yorkshire it's come when they really needed it as it's all but secured a draw.

Joe Root swipes a short ball from Samit Patel to the midwicket boundary, then runs a single and he's onto 99.

Having overdone it with an attempted inswinging yorker to Chris Rushworth in his previous over, which cost him four runs, Luis Reece tries his luck from round the wicket and this time has his man.

Rushworth goes for six, leaving youngster Liam Trevaskis unbeaten on 27 not out.

Although openers Gareth Harte (69) and Alex Lees (59) shared a stand of 83, Durham never looked like getting close to their target of 361 and their last seven wickets added only 58 runs.

Derbyshire take 19 points and Durham three.

Joe Root once again takes a single off the first ball of Jake Ball's over, then Gary Ballance continues his pursuit of his playing partner's score.

A drive through the covers and clip through midwicket gives him two further boundaries.

But then Ball squares him up and he edges to the slips, but it drops a fraction short of Ben Duckett.

Root 94, Ballance 81.

Samit Patel gets his line a bit wrong and Gary Ballance squeezes one down to the third man boundary for four before he and Joe Root run a bye after another fairly loose delivery.

Root nudges a one and he's onto 93. Ballance 73.

The England skipper seems happy to reach figures via singles.

Teenager Liam Trevaskis is demonstrating an unusual approach at Derby, with his bat well outside off-stump as the bowler delivers the ball.

It doesn't seem to be serving him badly, though, as he's just hit two fours in the same Matt Critchley, one driven past point and the other pulled away through square leg.

The 19-year-old from Carlisle has 23 not out to his name in only his second Championship game.

A fairly nondescript over from Notts seamer Jake Ball, but Joe Root does manage to turn one into the legside for a single before Gary Ballance returns the favour with a prod outside off stump.

Root to 92, Ballance to 69.

Joe Root flicks into the offside for his customary single to begin an over, then Samit Patel gets some real turn that Gary Ballance wasn't expecting. It thunders into his pads but not out says the umpire after some loud appeals.

Ballance collects another boundary by clipping into the legside and he is all of a sudden onto 68 - he definitely wants that century!

Root is 91.