Sixth round of 2023 County Championship season
All 18 counties play
D1: Kent v Hants, Lancs v Somerset, Northants v Notts, Surrey v Middlesex, Warwickshire v Essex
D2: Derbys v Gloucs, Durham v Yorks, Glamorgan v Worcs, Leics v Sussex
No play at Derbyshire & Leicestershire because of rain
Warwickshire v Essex
Some of the covers have been removed at Edgbaston, as we move closer to a prospective start at 15:00 BST.
Will Rhodes has won the toss and put Essex in to bat.
Image source, Getty ImagesGlamorgan v Worcestershire 109
That's a fine session and a half's work by Glamorgan's pacemen.
James Harris removes Gareth Roderick and Adam Finch in successive balls to end Worcestershire's first innings on 109.
Harris finishes with 4-18, while Michael Neser also picked up four wickets.
Durham v Yorks 119-2
Or is it?
I reckon Jonny Bairstow is put down here at second slip but had the catch been taken, it would have been a close one for the umpire.
Bairstow jams down on a very full ball from Brydon Carse and a edge goes flying through second slip who couldn't get hands to it above his head.
The question is, was it jammed into the ground?
The speed at which the ball flew to second slip suggests the ball hit the ground then edge.
Carse certainly thought it was a chance looking at his reaction.
Bairstow quickly up to 23. Malan on 27.
Lancs v Somerset 95-4
James Anderson completes his 14th over of the day, but the early swing and seam has settled down somewhat, and batting appears to be getting slightly easier at Old Trafford.
Tom Lammonby beautifully drives the second delivery of George Balderson's latest over for four. He now has 30 from 132 balls.
Can the Somerset opener kick on after battling so hard?
Glamorgan v Worcestershire 106-8
Worcestershire have made something of a recovery from 34-6 at Glamorgan, led by Gareth Roderick's unbeaten 38.
But Joe Leach has just nicked James Harris behind to leave them eight down with little more than 100 on the board.
Durham v Yorks 100-2
Image source, Rex FeaturesJonny B quickly into his stride.
Ben Raine offers him only a hint of width outside off and he stays leg side to crack it away past point with a flash of the wrists.
But then a moment of fortune as he dabbles half-heartedly at one outside off from Matty Potts that bounces a touch and an edge flies high and over the slips cordon.
Durham v Yorks 85-2
Jonny Bairstow away with a single to his ninth delivery.
Dawid Malan is at the other end on 19.
The other wicket today also fell to Matty Potts, with Adam Lyth gone for a duck in the second over of the morning.
Masood b Potts 44 (Durham v Yorks 81-2)
Big wicket for Durham straight after lunch.
Shan Masood, so prolific for Derbyshire last season, has dragged Matty Potts into his stumps.
The Yorkshire captain is trying to cut a ball perhaps not wide enough to do so. May have also bounced on him a fraction.
Either way, a big inside edge into his leg stump for the debutant.
It brings Jonny Bairstow to the crease.
Play is starting to get back under way after lunch at a few grounds, but we've also got some rain delays at Canterbury, The Oval, Edgbaston and Leicestershire.
Things have also been abandoned for the day without a ball bowled between Derbyshire and Gloucestershire.
Warwickshire v Essex
It's dark and gloomy in Birmingham as well.
The below photograph doesn't conjure up much hope of play starting in the next hour or so.
Still, we live in hope.
Image source, Getty ImagesKent 56-4 v Hants
The covers aren't budging at Canterbury - it doesn't look like we'll get back under way there any time soon, unfortunately.
Lancashire v Somerset 67-4
Anthony Gibson
BBC Radio Somerset
For Somerset to be four down at lunch is bad enough but it could have been even worse, as Lancashire put down three chances in the first few overs.
Tom Kohler-Cadmore launched a brief counter-attack before losing his leg stump aiming a big hit at Saqib Mahmoud, and Tom Lammonby has battled his way through.
That apart it has been emphatically Lancashire’s morning with Jimmy Anderson yet again leading the way.
Durham v Yorkshire 79-1
Martin Emmerson
BBC Radio Newcastle
Yorkshire lost two batters in the morning session. Adam Lyth was out for a 10-ball duck, while Saud Shakeel had to retire on eight with an ankle injury.
The Pakistan international slipped over while going for a single and despite receiving lengthy treatment on the field, had to leave the action moments later.
Shan Masood, captaining Yorkshire in his first game for the club, is on 44 but is lucky to still be in. He looked plumb to a delivery from Bas De Leede when he was on 15. It stayed low and looked to be hitting middle and leg. However, for some reason he was given not out. That came moments after Matthew Potts had struck him on the head with a bouncer.
Dawid Malan was slow to get going. He now has 15 from 37 deliveries and has added 52 runs with Masood. It is a sunny and warm day in the North East and batting conditions now look good after early cloud cover cleared away.
Derbyshire v Gloucestershire - no play on day one, rain
Play has just been called off for the day at the Incora County Ground without a ball being bowled.
The outfield is sodden and the rain keeps on sweeping in.
They'll try again tomorrow when the forecast is thankfully better.
Lancs v Somerset 67-4
James Rew plays out a maiden from Tom Hartley, and that is that for the first session at Old Trafford.
It's very much been Lancashire's morning - James Anderson's superb opening spell of 2-5 from eight overs set the tone, before a wicket apiece for Will Williams and Saqib Mahmood put the hosts firmly in control.
It could have been even better for Lancashire and Anderson, but there were three dropped catches early on.
Tom Lammonby and Rew will continue for Somerset after the interval.
Image source, Rex FeaturesDay one
Div One:
Div Two:
If you're just joining us, let's take a look at the lunch scores on this opening day...
Northants 86-2 v Notts
A competitive morning in Northampton.
Emilio Gay made a bright start after Northants were sent in but drove loosely at Luke Fletcher and fell for 15.
Sam Whiteman was then cleaned up by Dane Paterson for only 8.
But Ricardo Vasconcelos, on 37, and Saif Zaib, 22, have taken the home side to the break in reasonable health.
31 overs in the session. A good standard from Notts.
Surrey v Middlesex 111-1
It's a little thundery around SE11 so the umpires have called a fractionally early lunch.
An excellent morning for Middlesex having lost the toss.
They lost Mark Stoneman for only 8 but from there, Sam Robson and Pieter Malan have made excellent progress.
There has been a bit of bounce and nip but the Surrey attack hasn't quite been at it, albeit they might have enjoyed a little more fortune.
Robson takes lunch 48 not out with Malan unbeaten on 37.
Surrey v Middlesex 100-1
A poor ball from Dan Worrall gets whipped to the square leg fence by Sam Robson.
And a flick to long leg from Pieter Malan brings the 100 up for Middlesex, who have enjoyed a very good morning so far.
One of their best sessions of the season with the bat.