up for Surreypublished at 11:12 British Summer Time 26 July 2023

11:12 BST 26 July 2023

Somerset 170 v Surrey 152-4

Will Jacks gets four through the gully region off Craig Overton to bring up Surrey's 150.

This partnership is now worth 57 and from a Somerset perspective, it is a very dangerous one.

A glorious drive down the ground from Tom Latham off fellow Kiwi Matthew Henry brings him the first boundary of the morning at Taunton.

It moves him along to 72.

up for Essexpublished at 11:07 British Summer Time 26 July 2023

11:07 BST 26 July 2023

Hampshire 120 v Essex 150-6

In a low-scoring game like this one, reaching 150 could be a significant landmark and Essex have taken just 10 balls to get there this morning.

Adam Rossington has moved on to 39 - the highest score of the match so far - and Simon Harmer has nine, with Essex now leading by 30.

Scott Read
BBC Radio Lancashire commentator

A late change to the pitch being used for this game, as a result of the intended one feeling the effects of the recent rain, this match being playing on the Test wicket.

Despite being under cover for most of the weekend, to the frustration of England and the relief of Australia, its showed little deterioration on the fifth day of its use.

It's a testament to the quality of the surface here that Lancashire named two spinners in their side, and both were bowling shortly after lunch on the first day. Tom Bailey, who is just shy of 350 first-class wickets bowling seam, turned to off-spin in the afternoon session.

Emilio Gay showed little signs of his pre game average of 19 to produce a classy innings which has put Northants into a strong position heading into the second day.

The Gloucestershire-Worcestershire game gets going this morning in the sedate surroundings of Cheltenham College.

Meanwhile, way up north in Scarborough, at North Marine Road after yet another rain-affected day in Yorkshire's season, they will attempt to get going again. Adam Lyth resumes on 75, out of his side's 142-2 after only 39 overs were possible yesterday,

The Tykes have so far lost 40 per cent of their games to the weather this summer.

The most advanced of the Div Two games is at Derby, where Glamorgan resume on 408-6 against Derbyshire.

Image source, Rex Features

Division One's bottom side Northamptonshire have had a tough summer, so day one at Old Trafford will probably count as their best of the season.

The 207-run partnership between Emilio Gay, who made 144, and captain Luke Procter has given them the platform to build a very big first innings total.

This is already their highest effort in first innings batting all season and on the pitch used for the Ashes Test, runs now are so valuable.

By selecting two left-arm spinners, Lancashire showed their hand as to how they think the pitch will go. That means they need a big day two to get back in the match and have any chance of forcing a victory.

Image source, Rex Features

Middlesex all-rounder Ryan Higgins says "We have got to be really clinical and put a lot of pressure on their batters to force their hand" as his side home in on a potential two-day win against title hopefuls Warwickshire at Edgnbaston.

After taking two wickets as the Bears were bowled out for just 60, their lowest County Championship score in 41 years, Higgins then clobbered a half-century which helped his side earn a 139-run first-innings lead.

The Bears are already two down second time around - but their two best bats, Rob Yates and Sam Hain, are at the crease.

And Higgins admits: "We don't want to be chasing too many," he said.

"At some points of the day, I was thinking literally it could be a one-day game. But, with all the wet weather around lately, the groundsman has done well to keep the pitch hard underneath so it felt like if you do miss as a bowler and you get an opportunity to score, it was there to score runs."

But it also should not be forgotten that, last time 20 wickets fell on the first day of a Bears game, both sides ended up racking up 400 in the second innings - against Kent at Tunbridge Wells in 2018.

Image source, Rex Features

Surrey are champions for a reason and yesterday was a perfect illustration of why.

Their strength from one to 11 (with plenty in reserve) is the envy of every other county and Somerset felt it on day one.

The home side batted after winning the toss but were dispatched for 170 with Tom Lawes taking four wickets.

New Zealand quick Matt Henry claimed three wickets to halt Surrey's progress but fellow Kiwi Tom Latham made it to stumps 67 not out, as the Division One leaders underlined that someone always steps forward when they need it.

Latham and Will Jacks resume this morning, and with Jordan Clark and Jamie Overton to come, Surrey will hope to erase their 32-run deficit and build up a potentially decisive lead.

Image source, Rex Features

Having put in a solid performance on a rain-affected opening day at Trent Bridge, Nottinghamshire will feel optimistic of posting a score that gives them a good chance of driving the game against Kent.

Opener Ben Slater chalked up his first century of the campaign and Tom Moores will be keen to follow his example this morning after reaching 72 not out at stumps.

It was a difficult day for the Kent bowlers, who in the main struggled for consistency after Jack Leaning had won the toss and sent the home side in.

The visitors, eighth in the table, may be casting an anxious glance or two over their shoulders after promising starts for both Middlesex and Northamptonshire, the two teams behind them.

Image source, Rex Features

Perhaps overshadowed by the avalanche of wickets at Edgbaston, this clash between the third and second-placed sides in the table yielded 16 dismissals on day one.

Essex overcame the loss of seamer Shane Snater to injury by rolling their hosts for only 120, with Jamie Porter claiming a five-wicket haul.

But it's been almost as much of a struggle for the visitors with the bat, Kyle Abbott and John Turner taking two wickets apiece to reduce them to 145-6 - a slim lead of 25.

Given Snater's injury, Hampshire probably only need three more wickets and will feel they are very much in the game if they can keep the deficit down to 50 or so.

Division One

Southampton: Hampshire 120, Essex 145-6

Manchester: Northamptonshire 302-5 v Lancashire

Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire 275-5 v Kent

Taunton: Somerset 170 v Surrey 138-4

Edgbaston: Warwickshire 60 & 53-2 v Middlesex 199

Division Two

Derby: Glamorgan 408-6 v Derbyshire

Scarborough: Yorkshire 142-2 v Durham

Cheltenham College: Gloucestershire v Worcestershire (starts today)

Yesterday's BBC weather forecast for the UK was spot on, predicting rain in the east.

Today's seems to have flipped itself.

"Turning cloudy and wet in the west today but staying mostly dry elsewhere".

Not sure whether Birmingham is sufficiently west enough to cop for any of that rain. But there may be nervous glances in Manchester again.

Probably in Taunton and Cheltenham too.

Image source, Rex Features

Morning All.

Welcome back to day two of our coverage of this week’s round of County Championship matches.

We have seven games underway, with an eighth scheduled to start at 11.00 at charming Cheltenham College, where Gloucestershire host Worcestershire.

But that might be back to seven games again by the end of the day.

Two of the top flight matches - at Southampton and Taunton - are well into the second innings. And it would almost be a surprise if, at Edgbaston, where 22 wickets fell yesterday, they did manage to take it to a third day.

Warwickshire did at least manage to avoid the Championship’s first one-day defeat since 1960.

But they will resume still 86 runs behind Middlesex, with two men down already in their second innings.

And any early wickets will have the alarm bells ringing, especially in the kitchens at Edgbaston, where the catering staff may well be worrying about whether to prepare lunch or not!

Hampshire v Essex - BBC Radio Solent

Lancashire v Northamptonshire - BBC Radio Lancashire

Nottinghamshire v Kent - BBC Radio Nottingham

Somerset v Surrey - BBC Radio Somerset

Derbyshire v Glamorgan - BBC Radio Derby

Warwickshire v Middlesex - BBC CWR

Yorkshire v Durham - BBC Radio Leeds

Gloucestershire v Worcestershire - BBC Radio Bristol