The Cricketer rounds-up all the events from the first day of this latest round of red-ball fixtures
Taunton: (first day of four): Somerset 199 v Yorkshire 70-3
Yorkshire left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj proved the scourge of Somerset again as 13 wickets fell on the opening day of the Specsavers County Championship match at the Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton.
The 29-year-old South African's figures of five for 54 in the hosts' first innings of 199 meant he had taken 26 wickets against them in five innings at an average of 10.88. Only Tom Abell (66) and Jamie Overton (40 not out) showed much resistance.
By the close, Yorkshire had replied with 70 for 3, 129 behind, Gary Ballance making 35 and Adam Lyth passing 10,000 first class runs for the county in contributing 21.
Trent Bridge: (first day of four): Nottinghamshire 35-2 v Kent 304
Darren Stevens began his 'farewell tour' with an impressive innings of 88 on the first day of Kent's Specsavers County Championship match against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge.
The 43-year old, who will be allowed to leave Kent at the end of the season, after 15 years of service, gave a timely reminder of his precocious talents with a display full of intent and invention.
Stevens was happy to veer from the orthodox whenever the situation demanded as he plundered 10 fours and two sixes in his 90-ball knock as Kent made 304 all out.
Heino Kuhn had earlier hit 56 and Daniel Bell-Drummond scored 45 on a day that dripped with quality and nostalgia.
Ravi Ashwin, back in Nottinghamshire colours after carrying the drinks for India's two recent Test matches in the Caribbean, took his tally of county wickets to 27 from just four championship appearances.
Ashwin claimed figures of 4-121 from 32 overs, getting his four wickets either side of lunch during an initial spell of 21 overs that was broken only by the interval.
In the final 12 overs of the day Notts reached 35 for 2, with Stevens topping off a fabulous day, individually, with one of the wickets.
Tom Abell made 66 in a sub-part batting display for Somerset
Ageas Bowl: (first day of four): Hampshire 149 v Surrey 143-7
Ollie Pope pushed his case to be a part of England’s winter Test plans with a sublime half-century on a day fast bowlers excelled at the Ageas Bowl.
Batsman Pope, who played two Tests last summer, backed up his 221 not out in his last Specsavers County Championship appearance with a stand-out 68 for Surrey, to take his season average to 120.
On a green-tinged wicket which provided plenty of swing, Pope stood a class above, alongside veteran all-rounder Rikki Clarke – who remained unbeaten on 35 at the end of the day, having produced his seventh career five-wicket haul as Hampshire were bowled out for 149.
It was a day of milestones for Clarke, who also claimed his 500th first-class scalp and 11,000th red ball run.
Fast bowler Clarke has enjoyed facing Hampshire in the past two seasons having taken 5-29 at the Ageas Bowl last season and 7-74 earlier this year at the Kia Oval.
Edgbaston: (first day of four): Warwickshire 269-3 v Essex
Title-chasing Essex encountered stern resistance from relegation-threatened Warwickshire on the opening day of their Specsavers County Championship tussle at Edgbaston.
Division One leaders Essex took up the away side's option to bowl first in the hope of making inroads into a Bears top order missing Ian Bell, Adam Hose, Rob Yates and Tim Ambrose through injury or illness.
But the Bears' depleted batting line-up showed plenty of resilience and concentration to close the opening day on 269 for three.
After Dominic Sibley laid the foundation with 51 (158 balls, four fours, taking his championship run tally for the season to exactly 1,000), Sam Hain (77 not out, 185 balls, ten fours) and Matt Lamb (69 not out, 149 balls, eight fours) carried on the resistance with an unbroken partnership of 129 in 51 overs.
On a day on which the seamers bowled well at times but beat the edge rather than finding it, Essex's wickets all came from spinner Simon Harmer whose marathon stint from the Birmingham End brought him 36-11-67-3.
Blackfinch New Road: (first day of four): Worcestershire 205 v Glamorgan 44-2
Michael Hogan and fit again Timm van der Gugten established a position of strength with the ball for promotion-chasing Glamorgan on the opening day of the Specsavers County Championship match with Worcestershire at Blackfinch New Road.
Hogan remains a potent threat at the age of 38 and his return of 4-36 took his wicket tally for the campaign to 36 as Worcestershire were bowled out for 205 in 70 overs after an uncontested toss.
It followed on from his 5-62 against the same opponents in the corresponding fixture at Cardiff in late June.
Van der Gugten had suffered a back injury in that game but marked his return with three wickets including the prized scalp of England allrounder Moeen Ali.
Only Daryl Mitchell (36), in his 200th first class game for Worcestershire, Riki Wessels, with a expansive 45, and Ed Barnard (29 not out) offered much resistance in another below-par batting performance from the home side.
But Glamorgan's focus is on achieving promotion for the first time since 2004, and although Nick Selman (6) and Tom Cullen (10) departed cheaply, by the close West Indies batsman Kraigg Brathwaite had moved onto a patient 15 out of 44-2 on his Glamorgan debut.
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Bristol: (first day of four): Gloucestershire 200 v Sussex 73-0
James Bracey stood out from the crowd as Gloucestershire's batsmen found the going tough on the opening day of the Specsavers County Championship match against Sussex at Bristol.
Promoted to open an innings for only the second time in red-ball cricket, the 22-year-old left-hander top-scored with 61 from 123 balls as the hosts made a promising start after being put in on a green-tinged pitch.
But he proved an exception to the rule which saw so many of his team-mates succumb to variable bounce, Sussex paceman Chris Jordan cashing in with 3-49 as Gloucestershire were bowled out for 200 inside 78 overs.
Their innings was afforded perspective when Philip Salt (53 not out) and Luke Wells (6 not out) safely negotiated 16 overs to usher Sussex to 73 without loss at the close, 127 runs behind with all first-innings wickets in hand.
Lord's: (first day of four): Middlesex 87-7 v Durham 147
Ben Raine and Steven Finn led the clatter of wickets as bowlers ran amok on the first day of the Specsavers County Championship clash between Middlesex and Durham at Lord's.
Former England Test star Finn, bowled with real pace and aggression to bundle the visitors out for 147, only for Raine to respond with 3-12 to leave Middlesex's reply in tatters at 87-7, still 60 in arrears.
Australian Test star Peter Handscomb showed runs could be made with a fluent half century for Durham, but his innings apart, this September pitch proved a graveyard for batsmen.
Chris Jordan was the pick of the Sussex bowlers
Grace Road: (first day of four): Leicestershire 276-8 v Northamptonshire
Opener Hassan Azad passed 1,000 championship runs for the season as Leicestershire built a solid first innings score after being put in by promotion-chasing Northamptonshire at the Fischer County Ground.
Azad made 86, sharing a partnership of 122 for the third wicket with Mark Cosgrove as the Foxes reached an imposing 150-2. But Ben Sanderson produced the ball of the day to bowl the in-form Cosgrove for a fine 65 before Luke Procter picked up two wickets in two balls to ensure the visitors remained very much in the game.
The Foxes lost captain Paul Horton early, Brett Hutton finding the right-hander's edge with just his second ball of the day, and Alex Wakely taking a low catch at first slip.
Azad and Mark Cosgrove raised a 50 partnership off 77 balls, but Azad did have one fortunate escape when he was dropped on 34.
George Rhodes, making his Leicestershire debut after joining the county from Worcestershire, dug in, compiling useful partnerships with Harry Swindells, Callum Parkinson and Chris Wright, before reaching an unbeaten half-century shortly before the close.
Old Trafford: (first day day of four): Lancashire 20-1 v Derbyshire 244
A century from Derbyshire skipper Billy Godleman ensured his side posted something approaching a competitive score against promotion chasing Lancashire on day one of this Specsavers County Championship Division Two clash.
Godleman's 20th first class ton was the runaway highlight of a scrappy innings from the visitors who were bowled out for a below par 244, thanks chiefly to Richard Gleeson's excellent figures of 5 for 64.
Despite Godleman's efforts, Lancashire, who can confirm promotion back to Division One this week if they get one more point than Glamorgan, will feel confident they can push on throughout day two having lost just the wicket of Alex Davies to reach 20 for 1 by the close of play.
Having elected to bat, openers Godleman and former Lancashire starlet Luis Reece, attacked from the start, with Godleman in particular determined to throw his bat at anything bowled off line by Tom Bailey and Saqib Mahmood.
However, once they had been dismissed, soon enough Gleeson was proving to be Derbyshire's chief tormentor as he completed a stunning spell of 4 for 15 in six overs either side of the break to decimate the away side's middle order.
Lancashire then negotiated a tricky 15 overs in the gathering gloom with Davies the man to depart for 4 when he top edged a pull of Rampaul which was caught well running back from slip by Marsden.
Courtesy of the ECB reporters network
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