Clive Eakin
BBC CWR Sport

One of Warwickshire's new overseas players has bowled his first overs in County Championship cricket. The other was stopped in his tracks by rain at Edgbaston.

Jayant Yadav had completed his practice deliveries and was just about to bowl his first ball of spin when umpires Neil Mallender and James Middlebrook consulted and took the players off.

By then Yadav's fellow India Test player Mohammed Siraj had sent down six overs of pace, looking as lively as might be expected on a slow looking pitch.

He claimed the crucial wicket of one of the two Pakistan Test players in the Somerset team, having Imam-Ul-Haq caught behind for 5.

Sussex's miserable morning goes on apace at Hove as Worcestershire claim a fifth wicket.

Sussex skipper Tom Haines is gone for 2, off 36 balls, as Ben Gibbon gets in on the wicket-taking act.

George Hill and Tom Kohler-Cadmore are battling hard here for Yorkshire.

The batters have now seen off Essex's opening pair of Sam Cook and Jamie Porter, with Ben Allison and Shane Snater coming into the attack.

Hill sends Snater's second ball away for a welcome four.

Rain stops play at Edgbastonpublished at 11:32 British Summer Time 12 September 2022

11:32 BST 12 September 2022

Somerset 17-1 v Warwickshire

12 overs gone in Birmingham and we have our first weather delay of the day - not in the north, as forecast, but in the Midlands!

Another four for Emilio Gay as he whips one away to the midwicket fence.

But Jordan Clark is less than impressed two balls later when Gay fiddles at one outside off but he does not get a nick.

Then Tom Curran is thrown the ball for his first bowl in Championship cricket since April 2019. His first ball is a bit of a loose one which Will Young steers away for three.

Two more wickets for Middlesex against Glamorgan at Lord's.

Having been 9-2 in the second over, Shubman Gill and Sam Northeast took them to within two runs of 50 without any further loss. But, in the space of four balls, Toby Roland-Jones bowled Gill, then Tim Murtagh had Northeast caught behind.

Sussex are in even deeper bother at Hove against promotion hopefuls Worcestershire on 17-4, After the three early wickets for Joe Leach, Dillon Pennington has got in on the act with the wicket of Sussex keeper Oli Carter.

But Sol Budinger has made an encouraging start on his debut for Leicesterhire, hitting 30 in a half-century opening stand with Hassan Azad against Durham.

Will Young has been happy to let Emilio Gay do most of the scoring, but the New Zealand batter gets in on the act with a boundary to deep square courtesy of a nice clip off his pads.

A pleasing start for Northants.

But they had opening stands of 68 and 98 last week and still lost by an innings to Hampshire.

Emilio Gay is continuing on his merry way and he is already up to 34, including one of those rarities - an all-run four.

Gay's good start has forced a change in bowling with Jordan Clark replacing Kemar Roach

Three wickets now this morning for Worcestershire paceman Joe Leach, as Tom Clark goes the same way as Ali Orr and Tom Alsop.

Three scalps so far for the former Pears skipper.

One more and we can sing the Joe Leach song . . .

A bit of sunshine breaking through in Northampton where the home team have started nicely, and Emilio Gay in particular.

Gay has stroked four nice boundaries already, including two in two balls off Kemar Roach.

The West Indies quick was unlucky not to get him with a delivery which bounced, moved and just missed the edge of Gay's bat.

The next ball, Gay clips one off his hips for four.

Middlesex veteran paceman Tim Murtagh makes an early breakthrough in the promotion tussle at Lord's as he has Glamorgan opener Ed Byrom caught behind off the final ball of the first over.

That is then followed by fellow former international fast bowler Toby Roland-Jones removing Glammy skipper David Lloyd in the second over.

But that double burst is matched by Joe Leach for Worcestershire against Sussex at Hove.

Leach, who so often gets his wickets in clumps, struck in both his first two overs, clean bowling Ali Orr before trapping Tom Alsop leg before wicket.

In the other Div Two game, Leicestershire openers Hassan Azad and new signing Sol Budinger have so far safely negotiated four overs for the bottom side against promotion outsiders Durham.

Adam Lyth hits Jamie Porter for four and Yorkshire are under way.

The floodlights are on for a grey day in Leeds, with a small smattering of supporters dotted around Headingley.

Surrey have opened up with Kemar Roach and Dan Worrall sharing the new ball duties against Northants openers Will Young and Emilio Gay.

Gay has got the scoring up and running with a couple of runs off Roach.

Surrey have Tom Curran making his first Championship appearance of the season after back problems earlier in the summer. Curran is the 22nd player to figure in their red-ball team this season, underlining the real strength in depth they have.

With wicketkeeper Lewis McManus out for Northants, Ricardo Vasconcelos will be donning the gloves.

Yorkshire have made two changes from the side which drew the Roses encounter with Lancashire last week.

Matthew Revis and Jack Shutt are in for Dom Bess and Matthew Waite.

Essex are unchanged from the side that won by an innings and 260 runs against Kent last week.

Somerset have won the toss and opted to bat at Edgbaston.

Oliver Hannon-Dalby gets things going to Tom Lammonby, who was accompanied to the middle by Pakistan opener Imam ul-Haq, who is making his debut in English cricket.

And OHD starts with a maiden.

Next in line for a bowl is Mohammed Siraj, who sends down the second over to Imam ul-Haq.

The captains have met in the middle, the toss has been done and here's what is going to be happening around the grounds first up this morning.

Division One:

Northants v Surrey (Northampton):

Surrey have won the toss and will bowl

Warwickshire v Somerset (Edgbaston):

Somerset have won the toss and will bat

Yorkshire v Essex (Headingley):

Essex have won the toss and will bowl

Division Two:

Leicestershire v Durham (Leicester):

Durham have won the toss and will bowl

Middlesex v Glamorgan (Lord's):

Middlesex have won the toss and will bowl

Sussex v Worcestershire (Hove):

Sussex have won the toss and will bat

Image source, Getty Images

Surrey are back in action this week having sat out the return of Championship cricket last week.

They have made the journey up the M1 to Wantage Road to face Northants, who were beaten by an innings by Hampshire.

That victory took Hampshire top.

They now have their feet up for a few days and will be hoping that Northants can recover from that heavy defeat and do them a massive favour.