Martin Emmerson
BBC Radio Newcastle

Chris Wright has impressed me over the years as a bowler. He always seems to have a good game against Durham and the 38-year-old has taken his 50th Championship wicket against them today.

It was a rare failure from Alex Lees as well. The batter is having the season of his life, but was out lbw for six in the fifth over, the victim of a lack of feet movement. The ball did swing in late as well though. Lees has 1,347 runs this season and is the leading batter in the country.

Leicestershire need snookers to be able to join Durham in Division One next season. But they decided to put them in on a gloomy morning. The lights have just come on and may be on for some time.

Durham's Bas De Leede is now with the Netherlands at the World Cup, as is Leicestershire's Colin Ackermann. Ackermann will be a Durham player next season, as will The Foxes' Callum Parkinson.

But Parkinson is on 12th man duties here, while his twin brother Matt plays his last game for Durham before his loan spell from Lancashire comes to an end. He's joining Kent next season.

Good news from the Ageas Bowl, the rain has cleared through and they've just had the toss.

Rory Burns won it for Surrey and chose to bowl first.

The Division One leaders need a maximum of five points to make it back-to-back titles.

Meanwhile, there will be a pitch inspection at 11:30 BST at the Northants v Essex game.

Image source, Rex Features

Josh Bohannon is at the crease for Lancashire and in between the fall of both Luke Wells and Keaton Jennings, he became the leading Division One run scorer this summer.

He began the day four behind Somerset's James Rew and Tom Westley of Essex, who have 1,080, but with two boundaries off Matt Quinn, Bohannon has moved in front.

It's a nice accolade to have and the Bolton no.3 will hope to go on and cement that place at the top.

Lancashire need it. And so too, do Middlesex!

Leicestershire are still technically in the promotion race and they're off to a good start at runaway leaders and champions Durham.

Chris Wright has pinned the country's leading run-scorer Alex Lees lbw for just six. Durham are 20-1.

Sussex are batting against winless Gloucestershire and have moved to 16-0, while Derbyshire, who are also without a win this season, are 21-0 against Glamorgan.

The start is still delayed at Yorkshire, where Worcestershire need two points to guarantee their promotion.

Alex Lees or Rishi Patel? James Rew or Ben Foakes? Jamie Porter or Brett Hutton?

You can pick your 2023 county team of the season right now! Voting closes on Wednesday, so you've still got plenty of time...

Liz Mitchell: Today is the beginning of the end.

Please let the scheduling next year be less ridiculous ECB. Love ya, County Championship.

You too #bbccricket

Ah thanks Liz, you're making us all emotional. The last sight of cricket whites really is the mark that winter, and the dark nights, are on their way.

Image source, Rex Features

Essex were beginning to believe last week as their wonderful run looked set to continue and Surrey floundered against Northants.

But they're left needing a spectacular turnaround to pinch the pennant.

It's not impossible.

Despite events last week, Essex are still huge favourites to beat Northants - and if they can take a minimum of three batting points it could be on if it's a low-scoring week at Hampshire and Surrey can't reach 250.

But more likely is that this could be the final time we see Sir Alastair Cook in professional cricket.

Reports last week suggested Cook, who turns 39 on Christmas Day, is going to retire after this game.

Essex then put out a statement saying he would be discussing his future with the club at the end of the campaign.

Watch this space...

Worcestershire begin the final game on the verge of promotion, needing only two points to be assured of a return to Division One in 2024.

They may not need any points if Leicestershire were to take 22 points or less from their match at Chester-le-Street.

Worcestershire continue to punch above their weight and know that regardless of what division they play in next year, Jack Haynes Josh Tongue and Dillon Pennington are going to Nottinghamshire, Mitchell Stanley is heading to Lancashire and Pat Brown has signed for Derbyshire.

Rain has delayed the start of their match at Headingley, but there is going to be an inspection at 11:00 BST.

Good news from the south coast that the rain has cleared sufficiently to allow an inspection to take place shortly.

But the mopping up could take a while.

Not as good at Edgbaston where the morning session has been chalked off and there will be no play before lunch.

A loose over from Matt Quinn sees him gift Lancashire captain Keaton Jennings a legside half-volley to send to the fine leg boundary.

At the other end, Nathan Gilchrist's five dot balls are spoiled by the last ball being smashed through the covers by Luke Wells.

An ominous stat for Kent fans, given their predicament, is that they have not beaten the Red Rose county in the Championship since 2013.

Since then, they have drawn two and lost four, including both matches last summer.

By the quirk of a fixture list that only contains 14 matches, this is the first and only meeting between them this season.

Image source, Getty Images

In the last few minutes Sue Redfern has become the first female umpire to stand in a men's first-class match in England and Wales.

Redfern is overseeing Glamorgan's game against Derbyshire at Sophia Gardens.

"It has been an ambition of mine for a long time and, while it is a new challenge that will test me, I know that I am ready for it," she said.

"I have worked hard to earn this opportunity and I look forward to taking the next step in my career. I hope my journey can also be an inspiration to others."

Thankfully we have some soft, (very) late summer sunshine as the players emerge at Canterbury.

Luke Wells nudges the first ball of the match away for a single off Matt Quinn and we're under way.

As ever you can listen to live ball-by-ball local radio commentary on all nine matches.

To tune in, click on the links at the top of this page.

Play is about to get under way in the four matches that are starting on time...

Kent have made their intentions clear by naming two spinners - India leg-spinner Yazvendra Chahal and left-armer Aron Nijjar, and they will be bowling first after Lancashire won the toss and elected to bat.

Kent: Muyeye, Compton, Bell-Drummond, Leaning (c), Denly, Finch (wk), Evison, Niijar, Gilchrist, Chahal, Quinn.

Visitors Lancashire are unchanged from the rain-ruined draw with Nottinghamshire at Old Trafford last week.

Lancashire: Wells, Jennings (c), Bohannon, Croft, Bell, Balderson, Hurst (wk), Bailey, Blatherwick, Williams, Morley.

Middlesex kick off the final round of matches in the last relegation spot, knowing they have to get at least one more point than Kent.

Last week's eight-wicket defeat at home by Warwickshire saw them slip below Kent, who had a rain-affected draw at Somerset.

Now Middlesex are up at Trent Bridge trying to salvage their season.

They have won only three games all campaign and one of those came against Nottinghamshire at Lord's in April.

It owed everything to the generosity of Notts skipper Steven Mullaney, who on a rain-shortened final day, offered a target of 249 from 40 overs.

Middlesex managed a four-wicket win with an over to spare, but that success did not spur them on and they have remained in trouble all summer.

Last season Kent secured their status with one match to spare, thanks to a brilliant innings victory over Somerset.

This time they have left no margin for error, as they start one point above Middlesex.

But such is the closeness of the scenario, they could win and go down and lose and stay up.

Matt Quinn and Nathan Gilchrist shared 14 wickets between them in that game at Taunton, and they may need to summon up something similar this week at Canterbury against Lancashire to guarantee another season of Division One cricket.

Image source, Getty Images

It could all be very different for Surrey this week.

For a few glorious hours last week, Surrey were in huge trouble against Northants and Essex were odds on to beat Hampshire.

But the reigning champions battled to a draw and Hampshire's chase saw a 21-point swing in the title race.

It leaves Surrey only needing a maximum of five points to wrap things up.

But there is rain on the south coast so the toss is delayed at the Ageas Bowl.