Bristol is dry! That's a great start to the week after the complete abandonment against Yorkshire a fortnight ago.

Rain also hampered Gloucestershire last week as the final afternoon washout denied them a victory push at Worcester.

They've named an unchanged side for the third game running, have won the toss and will field first against Sussex.

On the other hand, Sussex were probably saved by rain on Sunday - having at one stage looked well placed to beat Yorkshire.

Sussex did manage to beat Durham in the opening round but it's Durham who are now the early pacesetters in Division Two.

Victory over Worcestershire followed and they were all over Glamorgan last week until the rain also denied them.

England legspinner Matt Parkinson has headed north on a short-term loan from Lancashire and comes straight into the XI.

But he'll be hoping to wait a while to get into the game after Durham won the toss and chose to bat against Derbyshire, who were well beaten in the opening round by Worcestershire and then drew a heavily-rain affected match at Leicester.

Image source, Rex Features

In the baking heat of a late July afternoon, Sam Northeast brought up his unbeaten 400 with back-to-back straight sixes at Grace Road. Unthinkable.

Glamorgan declared on 795-5 on the final afternoon at Leicester with Northeast unbeaten on 410, giving them a sniff of victory to keep their Division Two promotion hopes alive. Less than 60 overs later they had whipped their hosts out for 183 to secure victory by an innings and 83 runs – a result which made Northeast’s knock for the ages even sweeter.

Just 278 days later it’s Leicestershire who are among the early pace-setters in Division Two as Northeast returns to Grace Road, while Glamorgan needed the intervention of the weather to salvage a draw against Durham last week and sit 13 points behind the Foxes.

There was no pomp or ceremony on the eve of his return. Northeast had a quiet team meal and chatted to Marnus Labuschagne about batting. He told BBC Sport yesterday that this game is a perfect opportunity for Glamorgan to kick-start their campaign.

Warwickshire will feel they should already be top, having been thwarted by the weather in pursuit of victory at Taunton in the opening round of fixtures.

They left it agonisingly late to record an innings win over Kent last time out but know this will be a far sterner test of their credentials.

Surrey played out a weather-affected draw at Lancashire on the opening weekend before crushing Hampshire by nine wickets on the final afternoon of their second game, inspired by a virtuoso display by Ollie Pope.

The visitors are boosted by the return of Ben Foakes after a back injury with Sean Abbott the man to make way despite an impressive showing with bat and ball against Hants.

Surrey won the toss and chose to bowl against a Bears line-up unchanged from the mammoth victory against Kent.

Chris Woakes again plays but he will have to wait for a bowl against former Warwickshire team-mate Dom Sibley on his first return, as Surrey have stuck the Bears in.

Image source, Getty Images

At Lord's Kent themselves have recalled Matt Quinn, Michael Hogan and Grant Stewart following their draw at home to Essex last weekend, joining overseas Wes Agar in their attack. We’ll have to wait a while to see them, however, as Middlesex have won the toss and put Kent in.

The hosts bring Tim Murtagh and Tom Helm in for Martin Andersson and Toby Roland-Jones from the team which saw off Notts in dramatic fashion last Sunday, with Stephen Eskinazi captaining the side.

Durham v Derbyshire (Chester-le-Street)

Gloucestershire v Sussex (Bristol)

Leicestershire v Glamorgan (Leicester)

Image source, BBC Sport

Middlesex v Kent (Lord's)

Warwickshire v Surrey (Edgbaston)

Image source, BBC Sport

Image source, Mike Taylor - BBC Radio WM

Today’s weather looks a bit mixed at the five grounds where we’re at - Edgbaston in the Midlands, Leicester in the East Midlands, Bristol in the West, Lord’s in London and Chester-Le-Street in the North.

Cloudy, breezy and not much sun seems to be the general outlook - and heavy rain spreading in the south.

Oh well, the forecasters have been wrong before.

Image source, Getty Images

Good Morning and Welcome to the latest round of fixtures in the 2023 County Championship.

It is still early days in the red-ball calendar. We do not leave April behind us until the final day of this set of fixtures on Sunday - and yet already we are into the fourth week.

That is down to the County Championship campaign having made its second earliest ever start. But only 10 of the 18 counties are playing this week. And, of them only Middlesex and Kent, in Division One, and Durham and Gloucestershire in Division Two, will actually be playing their fourh game.

But, although it’s early days, and April has not proved to be the nicest of months, the clock is already ticking.

There are just 33 days before the first Test of the summer - England v Ireland at Lords on 1 June, closely followed by the World Test Championship final, Australia v India at The Oval six days later - and then, just a further nine days after that, the Ashes commence in Birmingham.

So, aside from the 2021 county champions Warwickshire and the 2022 champions Surrey meeting head on at Edgbaston today, there are also the various Test related sub-plots. Who’s in form? Who’s out of form? Who’s injured? And who’s already over here from Down Under acclimatising themselves to English cricket? Straps on and strap in . . .