for Joe Rootpublished at 14:50 British Summer Time 8 April 2019

14:50 BST 8 April 2019

Notts 408 & 329-5 dec v Yorkshire 291 & 134-2

Image source, Getty Images

Yorkshire are making a very good fist of saving this match, with much of that down to Joe Root. The England captain has reached his half-century from 92 balls with seven 4s, adding to the 73 he scored in the first innings. Not a bad start to the season.

He got to 50 by thumping a Paul Coughlin short ball to the square leg boundary. It's obviously a tactic from the Notts bowler because he did exactly the same for every other ball of the over.

Three more of them were pulled away for four, and the partnership between Root and Gary Ballance is passed 100.

Image source, Getty Images

Essex lose their last four wickets for five runs as Hampshire complete an impressive victory over the 2017 champions at the Ageas Bowl.

Kyle Abbott takes 5-77 after Sam Cook's half-hearted defensive push results in him being bowled off the inside edge, with the off stump knocked out of the ground.

Ravi Bopara did his level best to rescue the visitors, making a stylish 107 before falling caught behind to the new ball, but Simon Harmer's 62 was the only other contribution of note.

Essex only manage a single point, with Hampshire earning a maximum 24.

• Full match scorecard

Notts were very, very excited there as they were adamant they'd dismissed Joe Root.

The England captain tried to pull a short ball from Paul Coughlin but misses it. Nottinghamshire's players think he feathered it behind and go up with a huge appeal.

Root is unmoved and more importantly, so is the umpire.

Image source, Getty

England seamer Stuart Broad bowled a superb new-ball spell for Notts, 0-11 from seven overs, that really squeezed the Yorkshire openers and helped set up the two wickets taken by Jake Ball at the other end.

It's now 29 overs since he last had the ball in hand. Joe Root and Gary Ballance are approaching a century partnership and look in total control.

Surely it's imminent that Broad will be taking off that floppy hat?

A great start to the summer for Leicestershire as Colin Ackermann square cuts Chris Jordan to the boundary to end the game at Hove.

He follows a five-for earlier in the game with an unbeaten 24 and Mark Cosgrove finishes 53 not out, after reaching his half-century off 85 balls with a boundary at the start of the over.

The foundation was laid by Paul Horton (61) and Championship newcomer Hasan Azad (59), who shared an 88-run partnership for the second wicket.

The visitors take home 21 points, with Sussex - who are among the favourites for promotion - collecting just three.

Is there another twist in the tale at Taunton?

Having been reduced to 45-6, Kent now have a bit of a partnership going between Alex Blake and Darren Stevens.

Lewis Gregory is finally taking a breather with figures of 4-13 from 11 overs and Josh Davey just conceded a couple of boundaries in the same over.

Another 126 needed by Kent.

Martin Emmerson
BBC Newcastle commentator

Could this be an omen for Durham? Gareth Harte has reached his 50 in a patient 164 balls, with five fours. In the three other instances of him reaching 50 in a first-class match he has gone on to 100.

Durham have their work cut out though. Michael Richardson was bowled by Ravi Rampaul for five. It was a daisycutter which took his off stump out of the ground, the first real sign of the pitch doing anything untoward for two days.

Image source, Getty Images

There's still a long way to go for Yorkshire to save this match, 59 overs in fact, but by gum their batsmen are looking good - especially Joe Root, who's on to 39.

A hallmark of the England skipper's game when he's playing well is for anything over-pitched on the stumps to be driven to the long-on boundary. He's just expertly done that off Notts seamer Jake Ball and followed it with a back-foot punch for four after a rare poor delivery from Samit Patel.

Gary Ballance (27 not out) is batting in more of a limpet fashion at the other end, giving Notts nothing.

for Dawid Malanpublished at 14:17 British Summer Time 8 April 2019

14:17 BST 8 April 2019

Northamptonshire 445 v Middlesex 271 & 212-3

Alex Winter
BBC Radio Northampton sport

Just four centuries in the Championship for Middlesex last season, but one here in the opening fixture thanks to their captain David Malan.

A bright start yesterday brought him 50 from 60 balls, but a more circumspect effort this morning and just after lunch has seen a hundred raised in 179 deliveries - a perfect captain's knock to steer his side from trouble.

Job almost done for the visitors and Northants will perhaps rue yesterday afternoon when they only took two wickets under heavy cloud.

It was believed Jason Holder, the West Indies captain, was limited in the number of overs per match he could bowl. The figure suggested was 25 overs but he's well past that now, so we're all guessing. Can he provide a match-turning spell?

Leicestershire appear to be cruising towards victory over Sussex at Hove. They are 197-3,with Mark Cosgrove, on 30 not out and only need another 33 runs.

Gavin Harte has completed a patient 50 for Durham at Derby, with the visitors on 128-3 after Michael Richardson was bowled by a ball from Ravi Rampaul that kept very low. The target of 361 appears out of reach at the moment.

Dawid Malan is one run short of a century for Middlesex, who are continuing to make the Northants attack toil. The England left-hander has has put on 91 with Max Holden, who is 47 not out.

for Simon Harmerpublished at 14:05 British Summer Time 8 April 2019

14:05 BST 8 April 2019

Hampshire 525-8 dec v Essex 164 & 258-5

Image source, Rex Features

As expected, Hampshire take the new ball as soon as it becomes available.

Fidel Edwards concedes three singles in his opening over before Simon Harmer hits back-to-back boundaries from the first two deliveries of the next by Kyle Abbott.

The first flies away off the edge, but an authoritative punch though mid-wicket takes the Essex player to a 118-ball half-century. His side need another 103 to avoid an innings defeat.

"Chasing anywhere around 180-200 I think we'd be happy with, but I think we'd take anything on at the minute" - the words of Kent all-rounder Darren Stevens at the end of the third day's play.

Wonder if he's happy about having to chase 206 now?

It's going to take something special from the 42-year-old, who is out there with Alex Blake, following the loss of Ollie Robinson immediately after lunch.

The visitors need another 158 following another Lewis Gregory maiden to Blake.

After Samit Patel ripped through Yorkshire yesterday with three wickets in 11 balls, Joe Root and Gary Ballance are content to defend the Nottinghamshire left-arm spinner today. Of course they're under less (well, no) pressure to score as their victory target is an unrealistic 447.

Fast bowler Jake Ball, who's taken both wickets so far, is operating from the other end. You wonder how long Notts captain Steven Mullaney will persist with spin if Yorkshire are just dead-batting. Patel's figures are six overs 0-7.

Six overs bowled since lunch, the partnership between Root and Ballance is now worth 59.

James Vince is continuing to bowl in tandem with Liam Dawson after lunch, with Hampshire clearly eager to get to the new ball as soon as possible.

Simon Harmer despatches a full toss through mid-wicket for four and Essex need another 122 to avoid an innings defeat. The fresh cherry is now just four overs away.