The Cricketer wraps up the best of the action during day one of round seven of the Vitality County Championship in 2024
Chelmsford (day one of four): Warwickshire 308-6, Essex
An unbroken double-century seventh-wicket stand between Ed Barnard and Michael Burgess rescued Warwickshire from the depths of despair and lifted them into a commanding position against Essex at Chelmsford.
The pair came together with the score on 104 for 6 soon after lunch and by the close, 56 overs later, they had established a Warwickshire record for the seventh wicket against Essex of 204 and counting that had stood for 92 years.
During an innings in which he initially had to knuckle down before breaking loose, Barnard took his tally in his last four Vitality County Championship innings to 336 runs with an unbeaten 115. Meanwhile, 105 represented Burgess’s highest score for the season by 62. Neither man’s innings was chanceless, but both looked imperious.
Essex had appeared well in control when they claimed five wickets before lunch – four of those wickets falling to catches by Simon Harmer – but they toiled for the last two sessions as their usually consistent strike force was reduced to ordinariness. Warwickshire finished on 308 for 6.
Ed Barnard's century thwarted Essex (Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Related: Ben Stokes dominates the attention, but not the headlines, as Lancashire and Keaton Jennings respond
Blackpool (day one of four): Lancashire 350-9, Durham
Ben Stokes took his first wickets of the summer, finishing the day with two for 70 from 17 overs, while Keaton Jennings scored his 28th first-class century as Lancashire made a competitive 350 for 9 after being put into bat by Durham on the opening day at Blackpool.
Stokes last featured in a four-day game for Durham in May 2022. And with Lancashire going well on 163 for 1, the England Test Match captain showed he still retains the knack of taking a wicket when his team needs it by luring Josh Bohannon (39) into taking on a short delivery that the batsman top-edged into the hands of Callum Parkinson at deep backward square.
That wicket started a determined Durham fightback after Jennings and Luke Wells had equalled their best opening partnership of the season, posting 87 runs before Wells edged Matty Potts to slip for 27, with Jennings and Bohannon combined to add a further 76 to steer Lancashire into a strong position.
Stokes, who had struggled for a consistent line and length in his first two pre-lunch spells and had kicked the turf in frustration at times, then struck with the first ball of his ninth over. That wicket presumably brought some relief to Durham captain Scott Borthwick following his decision at the toss, as home skipper Jennings produced a brilliant century off 137 balls that included 15 fours.
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Trent Bridge (day one of four): Nottinghamshire 212-9, Hampshire
All-rounder Lyndon James finished on 92 not out after leading a Nottinghamshire recovery from 50 for 6 as they closed on 212 for nine on day one of their County Championship match against Hampshire at Trent Bridge
Mohammad Abbas, who took 15 wickets in the two matches between these counties last season, was the scourge of Nottinghamshire again with 4 for 36 - but Hampshire may yet rue their dropped catches as they look for a first win of their Division One campaign.
James, eight away from a first hundred since September 2022, was dropped on 23 and 32 as Hampshire's slip fielders suffered a day of contrasting fortunes, holding all three chances offered in the morning session but putting down three in the afternoon and another after tea.
Related: Meet Dillon Pennington, the latest quick to catch England's eye
Ben Stokes returned to action at Blackpool (Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
Joe Leach had Surrey in trouble at the Kia Oval (Steve Bardens/Getty Images for Surrey CCC)
Taunton (day one of four): Somerset 440-7, Kent
Aggressive centuries from Tom Banton and James Rew helped Somerset pile up 440 for 7 after losing the toss on the opening day of the County Championship First Division match with Kent at Taunton.
Banton contributed a career-best 133, off 174 balls, with 19 fours and two sixes, while Rew stroked his way to 114, off 145 deliveries, with 12 fours and 3 sixes in a reminder of the form that made him one of the most talked about players in Championship cricket last season.
The pair added 205 for the fifth wicket in 42.4 overs. Earlier, Tom Lammonby hit 69 as Kent’s seamers found it tough going on a belting batting surface at the Cooper Associates County Ground.
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Related: Surrey and Worcestershire exchange punches as seamers – and Dan Lawrence – dominate
Kia Oval (day one of four): Surrey 213, Worcestershire 112-7
A fifth wicket stand of 148 between Dan Lawrence and Ollie Pope, a superb new ball spell by Dan Worrall and Kemar Roach's late double-strike put Surrey in control against Worcestershire despite themselves being bowled out for 213 on a frenetic 17-wicket opening day at the Kia Oval.
When the dust settled on the high-octane action Worcestershire were 112 for seven in their own first innings, still 101 runs in arrears, after Worrall's three for 16 from seven overs, Roach's two wickets in three balls and scalps too for Sean Abbott and Jordan Clark backed up Lawrence's 84 and Pope's 63.
Put in on a well-grassed surface, Surrey were soon in all sorts of trouble at 15 for 4 as Joe Leach took 3 for 24 in seven overs in a new-ball spell that threatened to embarrass the county champions.
But Lawrence then joined Pope for a counter-attacking partnership that looked even better once Surrey's lower order failed to build substantially on it and Worrall and co had cut down Worcestershire's top order.
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