We've had three successive maidens at Edgbaston, as Phil Salt and Keaton Jennings look to navigate their way to lunch.

Adrian Harms
BBC Sussex

A stop start morning with only 10 overs possible due to light rain, and an early lunch being taken.

Perhaps surprisingly in view of the cloudy conditions, Sussex elected to bat first having won the toss only to lose 3 wickets.

Matthew Fisher has taken two of the wickets to fall and Ben Coad the other, both bowling a full length to exploit the conditions.

Tom Haines will be disappointed to have chased a wide delivery having hit three cracking boundaries, and James Coles who made 180 last week was bowled first ball.

The groundstaff seem to be preparing for a deluge, and a resumption any time soon seems unlikely

Image source, Adrian Harms

Martin Emmerson
BBC Radio Newcastle

Ben Raine and Matthew Potts are the leading wicket-takers in Division Two this season and both have struck this morning in Derby.

Potts has just yorked Harry Came on 16 and Luis Reece left a ball from Raine, only to lose his off stump when on nine.

Durham won the toss and decided to put their hosts in, a change from what they have normally done this season. At the time there was a bit of rain in the area and there were fears the game would be delayed, or start with the lights on.

As things turned out the rain moved on and we have had broken cloud and sunshine so far. Durham began the match with a 47 point lead at the top of the table. Derbyshire are still looking for their first win.

A spell of rain meant the start was pushed back at Trent Bridge, but following an inspection, play will now start at 13:10, providing we don't have any further rain.

Nottinghamshire have won the toss and decided to have a bowl.

Josh De Caires is on to bowl some spin as we edge closer to lunch at Lord's.

Rory Burns has 37 while Tom Latham has 19 at the other end.

Could have been so much better for the hosts, as it is, Surrey will be pretty pleased with their recovery...

Ben Compton moves to 43 from 63 deliveries after cracking Doug Bracewell for three consecutive fours.

The left-hander is within sight of his first County Championship half-century since mid-May after a pretty dismal run by his high standards... his 26 last week against Warwickshire was his best score in his last seven Division One knocks.

A huge appeal for lbw, as Ben Sanderson swings one back into Tom Abell's pads.

The umpire is unmoved however, and Sanderson's head drops in disappointment.

Looked a very good shout...

Postpublished at 12:38 BST 19 July 2023

12:38 BST 19 July 2023

Northants v Somerset 82-1

Sean Dickson walks at Jack White, and flicks aerially over midwicket for six.

A statement of intent from the Somerset opener, who moves to 41.

Scott Read
BBC Radio Lancashire commentator

It was an interesting decision to bowl first when Will Rhodes won the toss this morning.

It's a decision which could prove correct if the Bears make it successive Championship wins.

However, Lancashire have an opportunity to make big first-innings runs which could put them in a strong position.

The pitch is the same one which was used for T20 Finals Day, so it's already 100 overs old and, with front-line spinners on both sides, batting last could be tricky.

A seventh four for Rory Burns who dances down the track and guides Ethan Bamber through, you guessed it, mid-wicket, for another boundary. He has 37.

Only one of his fours came through the offside. Middlesex have bowled pretty well, by and large, but bowling at leg stump to the in-form left hander seems like a poor idea at present.

They're still off for rain at Headingley and so an early lunch will be taken at 12:50 BST. Yorkshire had reduced Sussex to 24-3 when they went off about 40 minutes ago.

England's Matthew Potts has just picked up a second wicket for Durham at Derbyshire. The paceman bowled Harry Came to leave them 61-2.

At Oakham School, Worcestershire are 61-1 against Leicestershire. Jake Libby was the man to go to Tom Scriven for 24.

Another leg-side clip from Rory Burns down the slope towards the Mound Stand takes Surrey past 50.

Burns has 31 from 55 deliveries, six of them have now been sent to the rope.

Josh Bohannon took a liking to Mir Hamza earlier this morning, and he tucks in again now.

Hamza strays onto the pads, and Bohannon whips him through square leg to the fence, before going over mid-on for two more.

A skewed cover drive gets over the infield and brings another couple.

An edge past second slip by Ben Compton off Jamie Porter brings up the Kent fifty.

Compton has 24 from 40 balls while Jack Leaning has seven from 19 deliveries at the other end.

Tom Abell helps Tom Taylor down to long-leg off his hip for four, before driving gloriously through the covers for four more.

Then first delivery of the next over, bowled by Ben Sanderson, is short and wide and cut away for another boundary, this time by Sean Dickson.

12 runs in four balls, and Somerset are ticking along nicely.

An effortless clip through mid-wicket off Tom Helm from Rory Burns gives him his fourth four and takes him into the 20s and he follows up with another through square leg two balls later to reach 27.

Surrey have ridden their luck in the opening hour but they are 40-1 after 17 overs and have a platform on which to build.

Tom Latham is mere inches away from chopping on to his own stumps off Ryan Higgins.

The ball hits the deck and loops over his stumps to draw a collective gasp from the cordon.

Latham was put down by Sam Robson at second slip earlier too. Wonder if his luck is in today?

Higgins then beats the bat from the next ball too, angling one in and getting it to move away past the outside edge. Absolutely jaffa, as the young folk say.

One wicket in the opening hour but it could easily have been plenty more.

Image source, Rex Features

13 overs into day one and Simon Harmer will bowl the first over of spin of this match.

Big call in the opening hour, but unless the weather intervenes I'm not sure these teams will still be out here on Saturday afternoon, you know.