The Cricketer wraps up the best of the action during day one of the first round of Vitality County Championship matches in 2024
Chester-le-Street (day one of four): Durham, Hampshire - no play due to rain
Durham will have to wait an extra day for their long-awaited return to action in Division One of the Vitality County Championship after a wet outfield prevented any play at home to Hampshire.
Overnight rain left the Seat Unique Riverside unplayable, despite bright skies, with the bowlers' run-ups the main concern when the umpires called off play following a 12.30pm inspection.
Durham are back in the top-flight for the first time in eight years after they cruised to last year's Division Two title and are expected to challenge at the top end of the table this summer.
Those ambitions were further helped earlier this week when England Men's Test captain Ben Stokes, who was at the ground today, ruled himself out of the T20 World Cup in June as he instead focuses on building his bowling fitness up following knee surgery in the winter.
Durham's return to action in Division One was thwarted by the weather [Stu Forster/Getty Images]
Canterbury (day one of four): Kent, Somerset - no play due to a wet outfield
No play was possible on day one of the County Championship match between Kent and Somerset at Canterbury.
A select few die-hards and optimists turned up for the scheduled 11am start, only to find the outfield saturated by heavy overnight rain.
Although the rain abated, there was no realistic prospect of the conditions improving and despite the unceasing efforts of the ground staff, the umpires decided to pull the plug at 1.40pm.
The forecast for Saturday is significantly better and 104 overs are scheduled.
Related - Nick Howson: Empty days at the cricket are not advisable but a wasted trip it is not
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Old Trafford (day one of four): Lancashire, Surrey - no play due to rain
Surrey's attempt to win their third successive Division One title got off to a damp start at Old Trafford, where the the first day of the defending champions' match against Lancashire was abandoned without a ball bowled at 12.30pm.
Overnight rain had ensured there would be no play before lunch but further showers during the morning left umpires Peter Hartley and Paul Pollard with little option but to call play off for the day.
Should cricket get under way on Saturday, Surrey will be aiming to secure their first four-day victory on this ground since 2004. They have lost four and drawn three of the seven games played at Old Trafford in the intervening twenty years.
Related - Paul Edwards: The joys of the opening day tempered by a dose of reality
Dane Paterson's five wickets derailed Essex's strong start [Gareth Copley/Getty Images]
Trent Bridge (day one of four): Essex 244-9, Nottinghamshire
Dean Elgar and Jordan Cox made eye-catching debuts for Essex but it was Elgar's fellow South African Dane Paterson who stole the show on the opening day of the County Championship season at Trent Bridge.
Opener Elgar, who retired from international cricket earlier this year, looked more than capable of filling the void left by Sir Alastair Cook, defying typical opening-day conditions with a classy 80.
He shared a 112-run third-wicket partnership with the brightly talented former Kent batter Cox, who went on to make 84, but Paterson, who flew back from a winter at home only on Wednesday, powered a Nottinghamshire fightback by taking 5 for 49 with his wily medium pace.
Paterson bowled Elgar with one of several outstanding deliveries as Essex, runners-up in Division One last season, slipped from 170 for 2 to 176 for 5 before closing on 244 for 9 from 77 overs, time having been lost to a wet outfield at the start and bad light in the evening.
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Edgbaston (day one of four): Worcestershire 316-7, Warwickshire
Kashif Ali scored an accomplished maiden century as Worcestershire made a solid 316 for 7 against Warwickshire on the opening day of the Vitality County Championship season at Edgbaston.
Kashif struck 110 (188 balls) and Gareth Roderick added a nuggety 68 (163) as the visitors returned to Division One with a strong day's work following promotion last year.
Warwickshire captain Alex Davies chose to bowl in his first game in charge but without Hassan Ali, whose arrival as overseas player has been delayed by a Pakistan training camp, and Liam Norwell, his bowling attack lacked penetration on a good batting pitch.
Kashif took advantage in composed fashion. Having ended the 2023 season with a career-best 93 against Yorkshire, he launched 2024 in similarly confident fashion to harvest a richly-deserved ton.
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