Image source, PA Media

And there ends a fine opening day's play up and down the country. What a difference (and joy) it has made not to have to report any rain delays!

With that, we've had a fine contest between bat and ball in most matches, with George Bartlett (Somerset) and Graham Clark (Durham) taking the day's honours with the bat.

The exception was New Road, where 22 wickets tumbled on a crazy day.

But perhaps the highlight was at Hove where England's Ollie Robinson took four wickets and removed Marnus Labuschagne with his first delivery to him before Australia star Steve Smith ended the day with 68 not out, his highest score in three games with Sussex.

It has whetted the appetite for the battle to come in next month's Ashes!

As always, thank you for joining us today. We hope you can do the same tomorrow, when we are back at 10:30 BST.

Division One

Hampshire 331-6 v Northamptonshire

Middlesex v Somerset 325-6

Nottinghamshire 13-0 v Essex 298

Surrey 88-1 v Kent 278

Division Two

Gloucestershire v Durham 393-9

Sussex 221-4 v Glamorgan 123

Worcestershire 83 v Leicestershire 173 & 66-2

The umpires decide there is no point waiting to see if the light improves enough for five more overs to be squeezed in and an extraordinary first day's play - in which 22 wickets feel - is over.

Leicestershire lead by 156, despite being bowled out in 55.5 overs earlier in the day, despite Colin Ackermann's 52.

Worcestershire, though, only lasted to the 22nd over of their reply as Chris Wright took 5-32 - and based on what has already happened, they need a similar demolition job from their own bowlers on the second morning to have any chance in this match.

Well, what a day's cricket that was...

The hosts won the toss and were probably thinking about where to golf on Sunday when they reduced Kent to 118-7 inside 41 overs.

However the visitors added 160 for their final three wickets across the next 32 overs thanks to Joey Evison's unbeaten 77, Wes Agar's 31 and a swashbuckling 43, featuring nine fours, from evergreen Michael Hogan, who turns 42 this month.

Hogan also trapped Rory Burns (14) early in the reply but Dom Sibley (35) and Ollie Pope (20) have added a quick unbroken 63 to guid the table-toppers within 190 runs of Kent's total at stumps.

There are another five overs scheduled at Worcester, but the umpires have taken the players off because of the light.

There must be a trench several centimetres deep between the square and the dressing rooms, the number of people who have made that journey today.

The Leicestershire lead is 156.

Steve Smith hits the penultimate ball of the day for four off Marnus Labuschagne before blocking the last, and that is stumps.

He and James Coles have put on 90 to give Sussex a lead of 98, having bowled Glamorgan out for 123 just after lunch.

With Smith in the runs and Ollie Robinson grabbing four wickets, it has been a fine day for Sussex's prospective Ashes stars.

for James Colespublished at 18:38 British Summer Time 18 May 2023

18:38 BST 18 May 2023

Sussex 217-4 v Glamorgan 123

A nice way to end the day for James Coles.

He picks up an easy single into the legside from Marnus Labuschagne to bring up a very nice half-century.

A fifth 50 for the teenager, and he has shared a stand of 86 with Steve Smith.

The deficit sneaks under 200 with Ollie Pope and Dom Sibley taking singles off the last Grant Stewart over.

Into the final two overs of the day, you won't see any fireworks surely...

Who could possibly have predicted this after what has happened earlier in the day at new Road?

Rishi Patel drives Joe Leach through the covers for four to move to 28 not out.

That big 183-run partnership between Tom Abell and George Bartlett has made it Somerset's day after being asked to bat first and then being 10-2.

Bartlett's 121 was a fine response after scoring only 45 runs in his previous four innings, while Abell's 77 was also very welcome.

Tom Kohler-Cadmore provided fireworks in his 68, but two late wickets have kept Middlesex from letting things get away from them.

Marnus Labuschagne is thrown the ball to bowl at Steve Smith.

There is plenty of friendly banter going on in the middle here!

Smith gets a single off the third ball to get off the strike. He won't want to get out to Labuschagne's part-time leggies.

Martin Emmerson
BBC Radio Newcastle

By my reckoning, it's been 2,158 days since Graham Clark last experienced the feeling of reaching a century in the County Championship. Back then he scored 109 in CLS in a win against Glamorgan.

The 30-year-old has not played many FC matches though. This is only his 43rd and today he made his second, playing some beautiful shots in the process.

He also put on a much-needed 124 for the sixth wicket with Bas De Leede, who made a career-best 65. When they came together Durham looked like they were going to fall short as they were stuttering on 214-5, having chosen to bat.

Sadly Clark wasn't able to savour the moment for too long, because he was out for 100, lbw to spinner Zafar Gohar, who took his fourth wicket of the day in the process.

The Notts openers survive a three-over mini-session to end day one at Trent Bridge, with Haseeb Hameed collecting four down the ground from Sam Cook's final delivery.

He can consider himself slightly fortunate, though, having thrown the bat at a wide one from Jamie Porter in the previous over and slicing it over the slips.

Alastair Cook top scored with 72 in Essex's first innings, but they only managed one batting point as Notts claimed their final five wickets in 10 overs with the second new ball.

Paul Coughlin thumps the penultimate ball of the day through the covers for four and it has been a productive one for Durham.

They'd like a couple more wickets in hand to give them a better chance of pressing on towards 450 - but nothing can deflect from an excellent innings of exactly 100 by Graham Clark.

Bas de Leede and Scott Borthwick also passed 50, while spinner Zafar Gohar bowled with persistence for figures of 4-104.

Hampshire look to be in charge after day one.

James Vince fell five short of a century but Liam Dawson is unbeaten on 56 overnight and he and Keith Barker will have their sights set on at least one more batting point, if not two, when play resumes on Friday morning.

James Sales was the pick of the bowlers with 2-32 off 12 overs though Jack White worked hard for his 2-65 off 20.

Only three overs left today at HQ where Lewis Gregory has picked up his third boundary.

Very much a feel of playing for tomorrow between Gregory and James Rew in the last 20 minutes or so.

But when Ryan Higgins offers some width, Rew's eyes light up as he strokes it to the ropes.

Just three overs for the Notts openers to face before stumps.

Ben Slater is off the mark with a couple of twos in Sam Cook's opener.

No Ben Duckett for the home side in this match.