First boundary of the day at Chelmsford.

It's not a convincing one, though, as Simon Harmer slices Keith Barker past the right hand of third slip.

They all count, though, and he is off the mark and adds a single to keep the strike for the next over.

We've got two men back on the leg side boundary for Jordan Clark, as Karun Nair nudges a single through backward square.

Justin Broad sways out of the way of a Clark bouncer and gets a single off a wider, fuller fourth ball, driven through cover on the front foot.

The over ends with a bouncer wide of off, which Karun Nair leaves alone.

There are some wonderful stories in village cricket. Here's one of them.

Consistent start by Ethan Bamber, who's operating from the Pavilion End, and he gets a new ball to use after umpires Russell Warren and Graham Lloyd ruled that the previous cherry had lost its shape.

Bamber gets the replacement to nip back down the slope into Ed Barnard straight away for an lbw appeal, but Warren remains unmoved and Middlesex continue to search for an early breakthrough.

Karun Nair opens the face of the bat and runs the ball from Jordan Clark carefully down to third man for a single to advance to 54.

Justin Broad leaves the ball outside off.

There's a bit more sunshine on the Oval square now as Dan Worrall (with three slips) continues to land the ball on a length and get bounce and movement away from the bat of Nair.

Shot! Worrall over pitches slightly and Nair drives through long on for four.

He'll keep the strike with a single off the last ball, pushed safely out to cover point.

Three overs gone, three runs added to the score at Chelmsford.

Kyle Abbott has been given the ball ahead of Mohammad Abbas for Hampshire.

The weather - at the moment - is being kind.

The weather could disrupt most or even all of the afternoon here at the Oval, so this is a crucial hour of play for both sides.

Dan Worrall gets a ball to spit off a length and strike Justin Broad on the glove but he's fine to bat on.

Broad is squared up by the fifth ball, which bounces and leaves the batter just past the outside edge of the blade.

Maiden over.

More overnight rain in Manchester - and that means it might be a while yet before Lancashire and Nottinghamshire can begin doing battle.

The home side have drawn eight of their 12 games so far this season, but still have one eye on trying to nab a top-three finish. Notts still need points to be absolutely certain of securing their place in Division One next season.

Unfortunately, the rain has just returned as well and there will be no play before lunch.

Yes, still bounce and movement in this wicket for Dan Worrall.

Three runs scored from those last two balls of the over.

Jordan Clark will bowl from the Pavilion End and he gets the ball to bounce on a length and nibble away outside off.

Single to Justin Broad off the third ball to move on to nine.

Good start by Keith Barker but a single from the final ball by Matt Critchley denies him a maiden.

Image source, Rex Features

It's Tim Murtagh trundling in from the Nursery End at Lord's - a familiar sight for almost two decades but one that won't be seen again after the end of this week.

Murtagh concedes two boundaries from his opening over, both of them to Will Rhodes who advances to 44 not out. A bit of good fortune with the first of them - a straight drive that clipped the stumps at the bowler's end and wrong-footed Mark Stoneman at mid-off.

Karun Nair is the key wicket for both sides as the Indian batter returns to the crease on 51 not out, with Justin Broad on seven.

We saw plenty of bounce and movement for the Surrey attack for much of Monday's play and those conditions are unlikely to have eased much today.

First innings runs will be vital. 250 would be a good total here.

Dan Worrall will complete his over (interrupted by bad light last night) from the Vauxhall End, bowling to Justin Broad.

No rain yet in Chelmsford.

Keith Barker will bowl the first over and Matt Critchley - 83 not out - is on strike for Essex.

Another batting point or two is their first order of business.

We mentioned earlier that there will be no play at Derby this morning following yesterday's washout.

It's a similar story at Worcester and Leicester, with the start delayed at both grounds.

Worcestershire are 104-1 against Division Two leaders Durham, while Yorkshire are 155-9 against Leicestershire.

Image source, Rex Features

The good news is the heavy rain has declined to light drizzle.

Er, and that's it.

The field is sopping wet after the downpour this morning.

No start time confirmed as of yet, but it surely can't be on time at 10.30.

Umbrellas at the ready, our BBC local radio and 5 Live Sports Extra teams will be in place to describe all the action.

Choose a commentary stream from the promos at the top of the page and we'll keep you in touch with what's happening at the other grounds with regular text updates.

Image source, Rex Features

Division One leaders Surrey are in a good position to bowl Northants out cheaply and advance ever closer to the Championship title, despite losing the equivalent of almost a session of play to rain yesterday.

Surrey fast bowler Tom Lawes was the pick of the bowlers on Day One, taking 3-47 - as Northants declined from 106-2 to 151-6 late in the afternoon.

He said: "“It was a bit of a frustrating day due to the time lost to rain and bad light, and they also batted very well in the conditions. But we fought back well in that last session and got our rewards late on in the day."

Northants coach Ben Smith believes Northants can still post a competitive total, with Karun Nair 51 not out, despite tough conditions that often yielded bounce and seam movement for the Surrey attack.

He said “It was disappointing to lose two or three wickets late on but we now have to try to put a competitive total on the board because conditions are likely to stay similar throughout the game."

Image source, Rex Features

Essex captain Tom Westley reached 1,000 Championship runs for the season yesterday and Matt Critchley only needs another 47 to match him after reaching the close on 83 not out against Hampshire.

But they were overshadowed on day one by Adam Rossington, who hit 104 off 145 balls, his first century of the season, and who shared a stand of 177 with Critchley.

"It was nice to find a bit of form and hopefully it continues for the rest of the year. I have had a bit of trouble with my hands, but that isn’t an excuse," he said.

"Critch played beautifully and Tom earlier in the day. We are set up now and hopefully we can go on and get a big score."

It was a total washout yesterday at the Incora County Ground because of rain and there will be no play this morning either.

The teams will take an early lunch at midday. More news when we have it.