The Cricketer rounds up the action from day one of the latest round of LV= Insurance County Championship fixtures
DIVISION ONE
Edgbaston (first day of four): Somerset 182-8 v Warwickshire
Lewis Gregory's defiant half-century underpinned Somerset's dogged fightback on a weather-affected opening day of their LV=Insurance County Championship relegation battle with Warwickshire at Edgbaston.
After choosing to bat on a slow, turning pitch, the visitors closed on 182 for 8 with Gregory unbeaten on 60, having supervised an impressive recovery from a parlous 82 for 7.
Somerset were in deep trouble after India fast bowler Mohammed Siraj (4-54) got among the wickets on his Warwickshire debut. But Gregory batted with great determination and nous to add 58 with Josh Davey for the eighth wicket and an unbroken 42 with Sajid Khan for the ninth.
His work meant that this crucial match between the two sides currently straddling the Division One relegation line ended a truncated first day (40 overs lost to rain and bad light) pretty much even.
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Headingley (first day of four): Yorkshire 134 v Essex
Sam Cook reached 200 first-class career wickets in record-breaking fashion as Essex bowled Yorkshire out for 134 during a bowler-friendly opening day at Headingley.
In returning an excellent 3 for 31 from 15 overs, the 25-year-old England Lions seamer became the first English bowler in more than half a century to bring up the double hundred at an average under 20.
Cook, whose 201 wickets have came at 19.56 apiece, achieved a feat last secured by Derbyshire's Alan Ward in 1971 and took advantage of helpful conditions to vindicate captain Tom Westley's decision to bowl first at the start of the two counties' 12th match of 14 in Division One.
He was ably backed up by fellow seamer Shane Snater's 3 for 39, while Jamie Porter and Ben Allison claimed two wickets apiece as the hosts were bowled out just before tea, including George Hill’s top score of 36.
There was no play possible beyond tea, taken at 3pm, due to rain, with Essex's innings not starting. Forty-three overs were cut from the day's allotted 96.
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Northampton (first day of four): Northamptonshire 249-4 v Surrey
Emilio Gay celebrated a deluxe century, his first at Wantage Road, as Northamptonshire dominated title-chasing Surrey on day one.
Opening batter Gay was fantastic in his 145, his third first-class century and second of the season, as he helped his side score 249 for 4 seamlessly, having been stuck into bat.
He was joined in a 77-run first-wicket partnership by Will Young, and a 155-run fourth-wicket stand by Rob Keogh, with a Kemar Roach and Dan Worrall-induced wobble in between.
Keogh ended the day on an effortless 75 not out but was outshone by Gay's personal best.
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Emilio Gay made an excellent century for Northamptonshire against Surrey [Getty Images]
DIVISION TWO
Lord's (first day of four): Glamorgan 214, Middlesex 132-4 - Middlesex trail by 82 runs with six first-innings wickets remaining
James Harris returned to haunt his former teammates, bowling Glamorgan back into contention in their clash with fellow promotion contenders Middlesex at Lord's.
With Middlesex 90 for 1 in reply to the visitors' 214 all out, Harris produced a burst of three wickets for no runs in nine balls from the Nursery End, reducing the hosts to 92 for 4 and evoking memories of his greatest spell of 9 for 34 against Durham at the same venue in 2015.
Mark Stoneman witnessed the carnage from the other end, to remain unbeaten on 72 with Middlesex 132 for 4 when bad light ended play four overs before the scheduled close.
Earlier, Chris Cooke was the mainstay of Glamorgan's innings with 52, Ryan Higgins taking 4 for 59 in his first game since returning to the county from Gloucestershire, and John Simpson taking five catches behind the stumps.
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Hove (first day of four): Sussex 220, Worcestershire 87-0 - Worcestershire trail, by 133 runs with 10 first-innings wickets remaining
Joe Leach took his 400th first-class wicket as Worcestershire dominated Sussex at Hove to keep their slim promotion hopes alive.
The Pears realistically need to win all three remaining Division Two games and put themselves in a strong position after dismissing Sussex for 220, with Leach claiming 4 for 37.
That modest total represented a recovery by Sussex, who had been 23 for 5 before half-centuries by Fynn Hudson-Prentice, James Coles and Jack Carson revived them.
But the pitch held few terrors for Worcestershire's openers Ed Pollock and Jake Libby, who posted 87 without loss before bad light ended play six overs early.
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Leicester (first day of four): Leicestershire 97-2 v Durham
Leicestershire and Durham had the rare experience of being frustrated by the weather on day one at the Uptonsteel County Ground.
Only 22 overs were possible before rain forced the players off the field for an early lunch just after mid-day, with Leicestershire 97 for 2, debutant Sol Budinger on 63 not out - despite having to change his bat after Ben Raine knocked a chunk out of it with the first ball of the day.
Once the rain had subsided, the ground staff made every effort to make the playing surface fit for a resumption, but with no wind to speak of to hasten the drying process parts of the outfield remained stubbornly soggy.
Those 22 overs were enough time, though, for the former Nottinghamshire batter Budinger to make a favourable impression on his Leicestershire debut, with 10 fours and a six already in his account.
Budinger, 23, never played a first-class match during his two years as a senior player at Trent Bridge but moved to Grace Road after scoring 645 red-ball runs for Nottinghamshire's 2nd XI this season.
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