Michael Perkins
BBC Sport

Honours relatively even between Gloucestershire and Sussex on a slow low pitch.

The thought had entered the mind during yesterday's drenching where rain affected most of the country would this September Bristol wicket offer a little to the seamers.

It hasn't, but Sussex have still got two wickets - Chris Dent getting one that jumped a tad from Tom Haines and was caught at slip by Chris Jordan.

Gareth Roderick inexplicably left one from David Wiese that knocked his off stump out and James Bracey has made a very competent fifty.

In Division Two at Grace Road, Hassan Azad has passed 1,000 Championship runs for Leicestershire and the left-hander is unbeaten on 40 after visitors Northants elected to bowl.

A must-win for Notts at the bottom then, but at the top we have seen four Somerset wickets fall in the first session and Essex struck twice late on against Warwickshire, with 14 wickets in the four Division One fixtures.

Dave Bracegirdle
BBC Radio Nottingham commentator

Kent overcame the early loss of Zak Crawley to re-build nicely on the opening morning of their match against Notts at Trent Bridge.

The visitors had made their way to 72-1 but then lost two key wickets to Ravi Ashwin before reaching lunch on 78-3.

Sam Billings won the toss and opted to bat first on a used Nottingham wicket but wouldn’t have factored in the early loss of the in-form opener.

Luke Fletcher’s opening burst deserved his solitary reward, though. The burly seamer had twice been refused confident lbw appeals before umpire Hartley raised his finger and sent Crawley on his way for just three.

Daniel Bell-Drummond and Jordan Cox accumulated gradually over the next 90 minutes before Ashwin struck.

The second-wicket pair had put 54 on before the Indian off-spinner brought one back to get the second leg before wicket verdict of the morning.

Billings’ stay at the crease was brief, nicking the spinner through to slip, leaving Bell-Drummond undefeated on 34 at the break.

Championship contenders Essex may already be wondering if they have made a mistake in putting Warwickshire in on what looks a slow unresponsive pitch at Edgbaston.

It’s a wicket the busy groundsman Gary Barwell had not been expected to have to prepare until the fixtures between the two counties were reversed in July due to flooding at New Road, Warwickshire’s intended venue for their home game.

Prolific spinner Simon Harmer was in the attack as early as the tenth over and if the match goes to four innings Essex may regret that it will be Warwickshire’s Jeetan Patel bowling at the end and not Harmer.

Harmer, however, did improve the session for Essex with two wickets before lunch. He trapped Liam Banks into giving a legside catch to go for a duck. Earlier Will Rhodes fell for 38 after a largely trouble free opening stand of 87 with Dom Sibley, who is 35 not out.

George Bartlett and Tom Abell battle through without any more damage.

Great session for Yorkshire - who began this match one place behind Somerset in third.

They have a great chance to close that 35-point gap.

Lunch at the Ageas Bowl and it will not taste too good for the home side, half the team dismissed in that opening session. Rikki Clarke, who will be 38 later this month, has utilised the green tinged conditions superbly and after four maidens 2-0 at one point, he has 3-6 from seven at the interval.

Nick Webb
BBC Wales Sport

It’s been a first session of attritional cricket at New Road after the hosts were unsurprisingly put in to bat under cloudy skies.

But Worcestershire should be reasonably pleased with losing only two wickets despite the modest run-rate.

Glamorgan claimed the key international wickets of the returning Hamish Rutherford, bowled through the gate by Michael Hogan for 19, and Moeen Ali, edging the fit-again Timm van der Gugten to slip on 18.

Opener Daryl Mitchell took 24 balls to get off the mark but battled away gamely to reach 31 not out by lunch, with teenager Jack Haynes at the other end.

Keshav Maharaj is in the attack for Yorkshire. Can they get a fifth before lunch?

George Bartlett is tentatively forward. Half a shout for lbw. He survives.

Bartlett plays down the wrong line to a leg side ball, which fizzes past him to the keeper.

Two more overs to go before lunch?

Bell-Drummond clips Patterson-White to leg for one.

The partnership is worth 49.

Another clip to leg, this time from Cox off Ashwin and that's a 50 stand in 144 balls.

Martin Emmerson
BBC Newcastle

We were all rather surprised to see a toss here today but Durham clearly backed themselves on this Lord’s track and after the first hour or so it looked a good decision.

Alex Lees and Cameron Steel pushed them past 50. Then the sun went in and things changed. Lees fell lbw to James Harris in the 19th over for 26 and six balls later Cameron Steel was bowled for 29 by Steve Finn.

Angus Robson, who is playing against his brother in a First Class match for the first time, soon edged debutant Miguel Cummins to the slip cordon to depart for a duck. Durham lost three batsmen for three runs in 4.3 overs.

Cummins is making his Middlesex debut after the West Indian Test player was signed for the final three games of the season. Durham hope to show some Steely resolve. As well as Cameron Steel playing in this one, Scott Steel is making his championship debut after impressing with the bat in the one day cup and T20 this year.

George Bartlett opens the face and nudges the ball to third man.

Will Fraine saves a run with a good sliding stop at third man.

Tense times for the hosts, who need to keep the pressure on Essex with a win here.

Another big appeal for lbw as Aaron Beard pins Will Rhodes on the crease but the left-hander is given not out on 37. Heading down the leg side. No DRS here, not even a replay.

Image source, Rex Features

Surrey are convinced they have got a fifth wicket at Hampshire as Liam Dawson prods hesitantly forward to Jordan Clark and Ben Foakes takes it with his trademark neat glovework. But the umpire does not agree and the Surrey slip cordon have a collective hands upon heads.

Francis Edwards: Is James Vince batting at 5 preparing for the Ed Smith call up for the winter asking him to open?