We just might get some overs in here...

The pitch inspection is at 1400 BST.

Ticket sales in English Twenty20 cricket soar in 2019 - and it's not just down to England winning the Cricket World Cup.

Some news of an exciting acquistion by Kent.

Play has only been possible in the games at Taunton and Chester-le-Street this morning.

Inspections are planned at Bristol (14:30), Lord's (13:20) and Hove (14:00), but there will be no play today at Edgbaston after a persistent downpour.

Division One

Kent 147 v Hampshire 80-3

Somerset 126-6 v Essex

Surrey 246-2 v Nottinghamshire

Yorkshire 261-2 v Warwickshire

Division Two

Durham 262-8 v Glamorgan

Gloucestershire 80-6 v Northamptonshire

Leicestershire 155 v Lancashire 2-1

Middlesex 176-3 v Derbyshire

Sussex 150-5 v Worcestershire

The picture doesn't look sunny but it's still a lot better than most views of the first-class grounds today.

Image source, Rex

Somerset will be happy to see Tom Abell on strike to Simon Harmer, and a well-timed cover drive brings him four runs. The next delivery flicks the pad and runs away for three leg byes and Dom Bess pushes a single from the final ball to move into double figures.

Rain is in the air again, so the umpires decided that is lunch. Somerset have added 51 in that mini-session for the loss of George Bartlett and Lewis Gregory.

The interval was going to take place at 1310 BST after the delayed start earlier today but that's all changed because the heavens have opened.

We might only have a couple more overs before the lunch interval and Tom Abell is in no mood to take unnecessary risks against Jamie Porter.

Porter has been knocking on the door for England for about four years without winning a Test cap and now he has been overtaken by Lancashire's Saqib Mahmood for the winter tour to New Zealand. What do you think about that Essex fans?

It's a tidy over, which costs him only a single from the final delivery.

Image source, Getty Images

Essex make their first change of the day with Jamie Porter replacing Sam Cook, who retires to fielding duty with figures of 3-14 from 14 overs.

Dom Bess takes another single to backward square, bringing Tom Abell onto strike as non-playing Essex batsman Varun Chopra reveals to BBC 5 Live Sports Extra listeners that his boyhood nickname was Tiddles or Tids.

Nothing to do with cats.

The umpires did well to keep the players out there while that light shower passed through (see 12:38).

The air is clear again now and Dom Bess collects a single behind square off Simon Harmer.

That's the only scoring stroke of the over.

We haven't given up on this one just yet.

Remember, Northants need two more points to go up to Division One and Gloucestershire need nine.

But we need a dramatic improvement in the forecast before either team can get any closer to promotion.

Sam Cook continues to probe away but eventually overpitches and Tom Abell drives authoritatively through mid-off for four runs.

This has been a fine, composed innings so far by Somerset's captain, who came in yesterday at the fall of the first wicket.

Here are the two Somerset wickets to have fallen so far at Taunton.

Martin Emmerson
BBC Newcastle

An hour of play was possible before the rain arrived in Chester-le-Street - and during that time it was the only cricket in the country.

Durham managed to add 65 runs for two wickets, with BJ Watling reaching the 17th first-class hundred of his career from 201 balls, with 10 fours.

He put on 40 runs with Brydon Carse in just under eight overs. Carse eventually fell for 27 as he chased a delivery from Marchant De Lange which was well outside of his off stump and edged to the keeper.

Earlier Ben Raine departed third ball of the day on his overnight score of 26 as he was bowled by De Lange. With 86.4 overs gone there is still plenty of time for a final bowling point for Glamorgan.

Simon Harmer comes in again and Dom Bess flicks his opening delivery away fine for four.

A single follows, but the umpires are growing concerned about some light rain which is blowing across the ground.

They're staying on for the time being and Tom Abell edges just wide of a diving Alastair Cook at slip for another boundary.

Varun Chopra
Essex batsman on BBC 5 Live Sports Extra

"Sam Cook is a good, honest, hard-working bowler. Sometimes he doesn't pick up the wickets he would like, but he rarely has a bad day. You know you're not going to get many bad balls from him."

Sam Cook beats Dom Bess again outside off stump.

Not only is the Essex seamer relentlessly accurate, but he also has plenty of stamina too.

Bess manages to collect a single through the legs of the gully fielder and Tom Abell blocks out the final delivery of the over.

Rain stops play at Riversidepublished at 12:31 British Summer Time 24 September 2019

12:31 BST 24 September 2019

Durham 262-8 v Glamorgan

We did at least get around an hour of play here in a must-win game for promotion contenders Glamorgan.

65 runs scored for two wickets and BJ Watling is not out on 104.

Tom Abell tucks away a single off Simon Harmer and Dom Bess follows suit from the next delivery, the first run of his innings. No major alarms for Somerset in that over.

Some of the worst weather in the country has been hovering over this ground.