Chris Rushworth continues from round the wicket to Rory Burns, but once again he's a little bit off the required line and the Surrey skipper flicks it away through mid-wicket for four and moves into double figures.

Matthew Potts has 46 wickets at an average of 22 this season - he's got the ball at the other end from Ben Raine.

The top-two wicket takers and Alex Less, the leading run scorer in the division too, he has 699 runs in his last six appearances alone.

You can see why Durham are champions elect.

Sussex, who want to join them in Division One next season, scored 10 off the first over and have managed just one more in the following four.

No joy yet for Leicestershire in their One-Day Cup semi-final re-match with Gloucestershire at the Uptonsteel CG. The visitors are 10-0 in the fifth over after being put in by home skipper Lewis Hill.

Only one run scored in the first four overs at Scarborough, where Derbyshire won the toss against Yorkshire and chose to bowl. No damage done, though, with Adam Lyth and Finlay Bean still together.

Identical format this over. Emilio Gay tickles WIll Williams first delivery off his hips for a boundary to fine leg.

Two balls later he flashes at one outside off and it's a genuine play and miss. So close to the edge. Sucked teeth throughout the cordon.

Vital game at New Road, where second-placed Worcestershire host Glamorgan, 14 points behind them in third.

The visitors have won the toss and opted to bowl, with teenage off-spinner Ben Kellaway making his County Championship debut on the ground where he hit 82 in the One-Day Cup last month.

Jake Libby and Gareth Roderick have steered the Pears to 9-0 after the first four overs.

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Emilio Gay has brought up the first boundary of the day with an exquisite back-foot punch through the covers which goes all the way to the rope.

The left-hander survives a loud appeal two balls later as a clearly peeved Tom Bailey thuds him on the pad... drifting down leg from the looks of it.

Lively start at Wantage Road.

A little bit of bounce there for Oliver Hannon-Dalby, who starts with a maiden to ex-team-mate Dom Sibley.

He and new-ball partner Chris Rushworth have 78 Championship wickets between them this season and they'll be hoping for more this morning.

Hampshire have won the toss and are batting first against Somerset, searching for the win that could - mathematically, at least - keep alive their outside hopes of a title challenge.

Toby Albert, who opens alongside Fletcha Middleton, takes the first over from Lewis Gregory - mostly a series of outswingers that result in a maiden.

It's Albert's County Championship debut for Hampshire, although he did feature while on loan to Kent earlier in the summer.

Nice start for Rory Burns - who isn't having his most productive season in the Championship - as he tucks Chris Rushworth away through square leg for the game's first boundary. No major alarms in that over.

The visitors have put the hosts in after winning the toss and Hassan Azad gets off the mark with a shaky single.

Emilio Gay on strike. How his side could do with another match contribution of 200+ runs, as they got from him at Old Trafford last time out (six weeks ago!)

Sussex have elected to bat and so Ben Raine takes the opening over - he's the leading wicket taker in Division Two with 48.

No Ollie Robinson in the Sussex side today. The England man had been expected to play in such a big game in the promotion race. Sure we'll find out more soon.

Tom Clark has run four off the second ball of the match. And we thought white ball season was behind us...

So will it be a September stroll to the title for Surrey?

Judging by their team selection - five pace bowlers included - they are expecting this Oval pitch to help the seamers.

Unfortunately for the 2022 champions, Warwickshire won the toss and put them in.

Rory Burns and Dom Sibley - the latter playing against his former club - will open the innings for the home side. Chris Rushworth will bowl the first over.

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Rock-bottom Northants dug in to secure a creditable draw at Old Trafford in their last red-ball match in July.

After Emilio Gay’s 144 guided the visitors to a total of 342, Josh Bohannon, Luke Wells and Phil Salt each posted a century in Lancashire’s mammoth 544-7 dec.

Gay posted a gritty 61 and the visitors held on to reach 213-5 at stumps.

With Warwickshire, Surrey and Essex to come and a 25-point gap to safety to close, that grit is going to be required again in the reverse fixture this week in what feels like a must-win game for Northants.

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Surrey are 17 points clear at the top of Division One and favourites to become the first team to win back to back titles since Yorkshire in 2014-2015.

And as if the task facing their rivals wasn't tough enough, the leaders have reinforced their squad for their final three games.

Sai Sudharsan has arrived at The Oval having recently scored a hundred for India A against Pakistan A and 96 for Gujarat Titans in this year's IPL final - although he doesn't make their XI today.

Surrey also have fast bowler Kemar Roach available again after taking 18 wickets in five Championship games earlier in the season, while West Indies team-mate Kraigg Brathwaite will boost Warwickshire's batting line-up at The Oval.

Hampshire have had a month away from red-ball cricket to regroup following defeat by Essex in their last Championship game, when they were bowled out for 120 and 131.

Mathematically, they are not yet out of the title race, but they are surely going to have to win all three remaining matches and rely on Surrey and Essex suffering a couple of defeats.

Two of those games, though, are against the top two so it is in Hampshire's own hands to a certain extent.

Before that, they take on a Somerset side with a pace attack boosted by the arrival of New Zealander Neil Wagner.

Image source, Rex Features