To be honest, the Yorkshire bowling hasn't been much to write home about this morning.

Five boundaries already for Ben Slater and Haseeb Hameed from some loose deliveries with a change in the attack as Jordan Thompson replaces Matthew Fisher.

Dom Sibley's been his usual attritional self since heading out to open for Warwickshire.

It's taken him 19 balls to get his first run on the board but a quick single into the legside off Craig Overton finally brings him his first run.

Tough work for the Bears so far after being inserted by Somerset skipper Tom Abell.

Mike Bell: I'm at Canterbury watching Kent v Middlesex. They've been playing twenty five minutes, and already twelfers has been out five times with drinks bottles for the players. Why? Wouldn't have happened in my day....

It's only three days since T20 Blast Finals Day when somehow Hampshire lost to Somerset in the semi-finals.

Joe Weatherley top scored at Edgbaston with 71 off 50 balls. The opener has a very different challenge this morning where he has to survive.

As such, he's come through the first 10 overs with nine off 32 balls.

Fenners: While the first phase of the championship was competitive, there's been too many games with nothing to play for in divs 2&3 in 2nd phase, much like old 18-team county champ. Should have had div 2&3 finals to add something. Go back to 2 divs in 2022.

Bears skipper Will Rhodes gets his innings up and running in slightly unusual circumstances.

He takes a quick single and there's a shy at the stumps at the non-striker's end as he comes through.

The ball hits and deflects beyond any of the Somerset fielders backing up and runs away to the rope in front of the Eric Hollies Stand for four overthrows.

It's impossible to take my eyes off the pitch at Trent Bridge.

A green tinge, or patches of green? No. The entire 22-yard strip looks green. This is definitely a result pitch.

The cameras cut to a group of schoolchildren in the stands. I'm not sure they're well enough versed in County Championship cricket to know how difficult batting will be on this surface.

The helicopter has indeed taken off and departed in the past few moments.

For fans of all four counties still in with a chance of lifting the title, everyone is looking for an omen in their favour.

Lancashire's last title in 2011, and their only outright one since 1934, came in the year the square was turned at Old Trafford. Six of their Championship home games moved to Aigburth, a suburb in the south of Liverpool, where they won four and drew one.

Now with Old Trafford gearing up for music concerts from local band The Courteeners on Friday and Saturday night, this season's decider is back in Liverpool.

Could that work in Lancashire's favour?

The sun is out at Trent Bridge, but it's always tricky batting first here, and especially at 10.30 in September.

England opener Haseeb Hameed has the first boundary of the day with a streaky edge. But what is noticeable is how far to one side of the square the wicket is.

For those of you who know the ground, you could almost throw the ball to the Trent Bridge Inn from the middle!

Five balls into the day at Bristol in Division Two between Gloucestershire and Durham and we have a break in play.

More details from our BBC local radio colleague below...

Martin adds: "We are not sure if there is a medical emergency in the ground, or nearby, but the medics have now left the helicopter with their kit and the players are in the dressing rooms."

Watchful start from Warwickshire openers Rob Yates and Dom Sibley after being asked to bat first by Somerset.

Craig Overton and Josh Davey with some early encouragement beating the bat on a couple of occasions.

Warwickshire remember start the day three-and-a-half points behind leaders Hampshire and half a point ahead of third-placed Lancashire.

Image source, ECB

And we're off at the start of this intriguing final round.

Let's see who can claim an early advantage in the opening session and get a bit closer to getting their hands on the trophy above.

Dane Vilas has won the toss for Lancashire and decided to bowl first against Hampshire.

The home side, in third place, make one change to the side that won by ten wickets at Somerset with Luke Wood back in for Rob Jones as he makes his first appearance since picking up an injury playing for Trent Rockets in The Hundred.

The only change to Hampshire's team from the victory over Nottinghamshire at the Ageas Bowl in the last round of games is the return of leg-spinner Mason Crane at the expense of James Fuller.

Lancashire: Alex Davies (wk), George Balderson, Luke Wells, Josh Bohannon, Dane Vilas (capt), Steven Croft, Luke Wood, Danny Lamb, Tom Bailey, Jack Blatherwick, Matt Parkinson.

Hampshire: Joe Weatherley, Ian Holland, Tom Alsop (wk), Nick Gubbins, James Vince (capt), Liam Dawson, Felix Organ, Keith Barker, Mason Crane, Brad Wheal, Mohammad Abbas.

So there's been plenty of speculation in the past few weeks about whether or not this season's format of two-phases and three divisions will stay for 2022.

Have you enjoyed this season's format and the finale it has set up?

Or do you want to see a return to two divisions with promotion and relegation?

Let us know using #bbccricket

To Edgbaston, where second-placed Warwickshire will bat first after Somerset won the toss and elected to bowl first.

The Bears welcome back opener Rob Yates to their side after he was forced to miss the win against Yorkshire due to Covid-19 close contacts.

He replaces Chris Benjamin in their top order. Danny Briggs is also back as a spin option with Chris Woakes once again available.

Somerset have Craig Overton and Lewis Gregory (as a batsman only) as well as Jack Leach.

Warwickshire: Dom Sibley, Rob Yates, Will Rhodes (capt), Sam Hain, Matthew Lamb, Michael Burgess (wk), Tim Bresnan, Chris Woakes, Danny Briggs, Liam Norwell, Craig Miles.

Somerset: Tom Lammonby, Ben Green, Azhar Ali, Tom Abell (capt), Lewis Goldsworthy, Steve Davies (wk), Lewis Gregory, Craig Overton, Jack Brooks, Josh Davey, Jack Leach.

At Trent Bridge, fourth-placed Nottinghamshire will bat first after Yorkshire won the toss and chose to field.

Notts are unchanged from the side that lost at Hampshire last week, with hopes on their seam trio of Luke Fletcher, South Africa's Dane Paterson and Brett Hutton.

Yorkshire skipper Steven Patterson is ruled out with a hamstring injury while Dawid Malan is left out, while there is no Gary Ballance either. Ben Coad captains the side as in come batsmen Will Fraine and Tom Kohler-Cadmore and 19-year-old Matthew Revis for just his second Championship appearance.

Nottinghamshire: Ben Slater, Haseeb Hameed, Ben Duckett, Joe Clarke, Steven Mullaney (capt), Tom Moores (wk), Liam Patterson-White, Joey Evison, Brett Hutton, Luke Fletcher, Dane Paterson

Yorkshire: Adam Lyth, George Hill, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Will Fraine, Harry Brook, Jordan Thompson, Matthew Revis, Dom Bess, Harry Duke (wk), Matt Fisher, Ben Coad (capt).

Weather Watchpublished at 10:25 British Summer Time 21 September 2021

10:25 BST 21 September 2021

Well, for those of you who know your seasons, tomorrow is the autumn equinox in the northern hemisphere.

But the good news for today as we begin this last round of fixtures is that it'll look and feel much more like mid-summer as Simon King from the BBC Weather Centre can tell us.