Image source, Rex Features

Phew. Another pulsating day of top-tier cricket is in the books... oh, and there was apparently some Ashes action at Old Trafford too.

It's gearing up to be a fascinating County Championship title race with Division One leaders Surrey and closest challengers Essex and Warwickshire all trying to take a stranglehold of their matches while it was largely a day of toil for the division's bottom three, with Kent, Middlesex and Northants already facing an uphill battle after the opening day.

We'll be back at 10:45 BST to bring you all the action from day two.

Tom Moores plays out a maiden from Ian Holland, and that is that for day one in Nottingham.

The hosts were firmly in command for the majority of the day, bowling Hampshire out for just 166, and then moving to 47-1 in reply.

However, an excellent spell late on from Holland saw him take four wickets, peg Nottinghamshire back, and bring the game back into the balance.

Kyle Abbott gets a little bit full, and Tom Moores belts him through the covers for four.

If it's there to put away, Moores will do so, regardless of the fact the close of play is looming.

After a nightmare start for the visitors, Fynn Hudson-Prentice and Nathan McAndrew have combined to haul Sussex back from 76-6 to reach 120-6 at stumps at Headingley.

Matthew Fisher has 4-53 for the hosts on a day when only 42 overs were possible due to the weather.

Incredibly, despite being bowled out for only 178 on the opening afternoon, Worcestershire have hauled themselves into a commanding position at stumps on day one at Oakham.

Dillion Pennington has taken 3-24 in the evening session and hosts Leicestershire are 88-8, still 90 runs behind. Rehan Ahmed (25 not out) has provided the majority of the resistance.

Earlier Brooke Guest reached stumps unbeaten on 145 as Derbyshire closed on 317-6 against leaders Durham.

Jamie Smith's superb unbeaten century has given Surrey the initiative on an opening day on which the momentum has swung back and forth.

Middlesex won the toss and bowled well but were not able to take all the chances they created and Rory Burns (79) steered the Surrey ship through the opening session before Smith took over in the latter part of the day to reach 120 not out from 173 balls at stumps. Jordan Clark has 34 from 60 at the other end.

Tom Helm claimed three wickets and Ryan Higgins took two and a superb catch but Middlesex will have to find a way to take five more wickets against a talented tail tomorrow, with 14 overs left in the chase for bonus points.

When Danny Lamb was caught behind off the bowling of Ed Barnard earlier this afternoon Lancashire were 150-7 and in danger of posting a below-par first-innings total.

However, that brought Tom Bailey to the middle to join George Balderson and the pair have batted brilliantly to put on 145 for the eighth wicket, and swing the momentum firmly towards Lancashire.

Balderson closes the day 94 not out, and will be eyeing a first first-class hundred tomorrow morning.

Tom Bailey could well achieve the same fate should he carry his form into day two. The 32-year-old is unbeaten on 75 overnight.

up for Surreypublished at 18:31 British Summer Time 19 July 2023

18:31 BST 19 July 2023

Middlesex v Surrey 301-5

Jordan Clark moves to 33 with a four off Ryan Higgins.

It brings up the 300 and with it a second batting bonus point for the visitors. Still 16+ overs left to chase the remaining three too.

Two overs to come tonight.

Those two quickfire wickets not only wrapped up the Somerset innings, but also wrapped up the day's play at Northampton.

Somerset will feel they could, and perhaps should have posted a bigger total, but they are the side in control of this game.

Big shout for LBW from Arshdeep Singh against Nick Browne to start the final over of the day... might have been a touch high, was it heading down leg?

Either way, Browne survives, and then taps, and I mean taps, Arshdeep back past the stumps at the other end for four. That is timing.

Browne removes his lid after the penultimate ball and has another chat with the physio but he's ok to face the final ball. A dot.

Essex's day. Sam Cook's sublime 3-19 and 3-47 from Jamie Porter helped bundle Kent out for 207 and Alastair Cook (64*) and Brown (31*) have taken the hosts within 101 at stumps with 10 wickets remaining - one of them will be Dan Lawrence, newly released by England.

Nottinghamshire have responded well to the dismissal of Haseeb Hameed early on in their innings.

Ben Slater has moved to 26, and alongside Will Young, is building a handy platform for the hosts to build a big first-innings lead.

Derbyshire batter Brooke Guest goes to stumps unbeaten on 145 as his side close on 317-6 against leaders Durham.

Worcestershire are fighting back superbly with the ball against Leicestershire after being bowled out for 178. Leicestershire have just fallen to 66-6 at Oakham School.

Yorkshire seamer Matt Fisher has just picked up Sussex's sixth wicket and his fourth at Headingley.

Sussex are in all sorts of bother on 76-6.

Nick Browne hit in the headpublished at 18:14 British Summer Time 19 July 2023

18:14 BST 19 July 2023

Essex 100-0 v Kent 207

The Essex 100 comes up via two head byes...

Nick Browne tries to duck a bouncer from Arshdeep Singh but the ball smashes into the crown of his helmet and bounces over the slips.

Browne wants to carry on but the umpires insist upon following the concussion protocol. Out come the medics and Browne is asked all sorts of testing questions, I'm sure.

He's fine to continue, however.

Just over three overs remaining and Alastair Cook and Nick Browne will be desperate to reach stumps unbeaten.

The Kent lead is down to 110 but Essex have all 10 wickets standing. If they can complete their challenge they will be able to play more expansively tomorrow, you'd expect, plus they will be able to call on Dan Lawrence, understood to be heading back to Chelmsford from Manchester this afternoon.