County Championship Division One roundup: Wickets galore for Wes Agar and Brett Hutton

The Cricketer wraps up the best of the action on day one of the ninth round of LV= Insurance County Championship matches in 2023

Chelmsford (first day of four): Essex 391-7, Warwickshire

Tom Westley and Dan Lawrence, England past and present, combined for an imperious double-century stand that put Essex firmly in control of the LV= Insurance County Championship match against Warwickshire.

Lawrence, allowed to play by England on the proviso he is ready to scuttle down to Lord's if required, gave full range to his shots in an immaculate 152, his second century of the season.

The third-wicket pair put on 227 in 59 overs of elegant stroke-play until Westley dragged Ed Barnard to short midwicket. His 193-ball 114 took his season's tally to 739 runs, by far the most of any player in Division One.

Matt Critchley upped the tempo with 47 from 43 balls in a 70-run stand with Lawrence, who finally departed after five-and-a-half hours, 225 balls and 15 fours, a second victim for Warwickshire loanee Dom Bess. By the close, Essex had amassed 391 for 7.

^{Tom Westley continued his rich form with the bat [Gareth Copley/Getty Images]}

Southampton (first day of four): Hampshire 284-4, Middlesex

Nick Gubbins marked his first appearance against boyhood club Middlesex by grounding them down with an ultra-patient unbeaten 98 as he and centurion Liam Dawson wrestled control for Hampshire in the County Championship.

Gubbins batted for six sticky hours and 262 balls on a dry and flat pitch, while Dawson added 111 not out of his own in a slightly sprightlier four hours.

The pair put on 190 to break a 100-year record for the fifth wicket for Hampshire against Middlesex, beating the 149 scored by Lord Tennyson and Tom Jameson in June 1923.

Middlesex, who had been asked to field first, had been in the ascendancy at 94 for 4 after Josh de Caires had taken 2 for 93 but were ground down as Hampshire reached close 284 for 4.

Gubbins left Middlesex in 2021, initially on loan, after 152 first-team matches in seven years having come through the age groups.

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Northampton (first day of four): Northamptonshire 237, Kent 110-1 - Kent trail by 127 runs with nine first-innings wickets in hand

Kent's Australian international Wes Agar claimed the second five-wicket haul of his first-class career to restrict Northamptonshire to a modest 237. It came despite Rob Keogh leading a spirited fightback for the hosts with a fine 97 on day one of this County Championship match.

Tawanda Muyeye and Daniel Bell-Drummond (48) took the positive route in response, sharing a confident, attacking unbeaten partnership of 93 as Kent closed on 110 for 1 in 26 overs. The pair peppered the boundary, Muyeye smashing eight fours and a six, finishing 58 off 82 deliveries.

Keogh fell agonisingly short of a second consecutive century against Kent this season but did well to help his side recover after losing three early wickets to catches in the slip cordon. It created a sense of déjà vu for Northamptonshire fans after a number of similar batting collapses this season but Keogh's half-century partnerships with Sam Whiteman (40) and Saif Zaib (26) started to swing the momentum back their way.

Agar though was finding prodigious swing, having already removed Whiteman and Ricardo Vasconcelos and he finally ended Keogh's resistance after 147 balls (13 fours), the first of three wickets in 11 ball for the Australian, including a double-wicket maiden. Tom Taylor (35) clubbed six boundaries before he became the third victim for Hamidullah Qadri.

^{Brett Hutton ripped through Somerset [Harry Trump/Getty Images]}

Taunton (first day of four): Somerset 163, Nottinghamshire 145-4 - Nottinghamshire trail by 18 runs with six first-innings wickets in hand

Brett Hutton claimed a five-wicket haul as Nottinghamshire took control on the opening day of the County Championship match with Somerset at Taunton.

The hosts could post only 163 all out after winning the toss on a bright morning, Tom Kohler-Cadmore top-scoring with just 38 and Kasey Aldridge contributing 35. Hutton (5 for 34) and Matt Carter (3 for 43) did most of the damage for an accurate Notts attack.

In reply, the visitors slipped to 105 for 4 on a seemingly blameless pitch, but opener Ben Slater's unbeaten 67 saw them to 145 for 4 at the close, just 18 runs behind.

With the sun shining brightly for most of the day, it was strange that 14 wickets should fall. Inability to post meaningful first innings totals has been a long-standing problem for Somerset and again there was a fragility about their top order as Hutton maintained an exemplary line and length from the Marcus Trescothick Pavilion End.

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The Oval (first day of four): Surrey 70-4, Lancashire 274 - Surrey trail by 204 runs with six first-innings wickets in hand

County champions and Division One leaders Surrey are a nervy 70 for 4 in reply to Lancashire's 274 after an intriguing opening day at the Kia Oval.

Rory Burns, Dom Sibley and Tom Latham all fell to the new ball after Lancashire had earlier recovered from 119 for 5 as Phil Salt, George Balderson and Jack Blatherwick fashioned a lower order rally on a seaming pitch

Ben Foakes then played on for 23 against Blatherwick in the day's final over, after putting on 43 with Jamie Smith, who remained 24 not out but was dropped at first slip off Blatherwick's medium pace on 23.

Four wickets apiece for Jordan Clark and Sean Abbott looked to have won first day honours for Surrey but Will Williams and Tom Bailey turned this County Championship contest back towards Lancashire in the final 20 overs of the day.

Burns, on 5, edged Williams for keeper Salt to take a brilliant low one-handed catch diving to his left and Sibley departed for an 18-ball duck when he tickled an attempted leg glance at Williams through to Salt. Latham edged Bailey to second slip to go for 10.