Adam Whitty
BBC Radio Leicester commentator

Image source, Rex Features

It shouldn't take Leicestershire long to match, and overtake, Yorkshire's first innings total - but it is what they do from there that matters.

We have grey skies and a bit of drizzle in the air, meaning bowler-friendly conditions on a strange pitch might affect The Foxes' ability to get a big first innings total.

The cut strip has been nicknamed 'The Mullet' - shaved on the sides, long in the middle. It is apparently playing on the slow side, but the way the hosts went about things yesterday, playing aggressively and taking on the bowlers, seems the way to go.

Rehan Ahmed holds the key, the England all-rounder begins day two with an unbeaten half-century. He's joined by overseas batter Nick Kelly at the crease, and the Foxes need to ram their advantage home.

Remember, they are winless, and way off safety. They won't get many opportunities to win a game.

BBC Sounds

You can keep right across all nine matches in this round of the County Championship by keeping across our live text and also listen to a game of your choice.

Either click the 'Watch & Listen' tab at the top of this page and choose your game or ask your smart speaker to play your choice - for example 'play Derbyshire v Lancashire day two on BBC Sounds'

Events moved on apace at Chesterfield on Friday with 15 wickets falling and Derbyshire resume on 197-5, a lead of 36 after Lancashire were bundled out for 161 inside 40 overs.

Matt Montgomery's 86 has put the hosts in a strong position and they will start, hoping to make the Red Rose wilt further on day two.

Miles Hammond's superb 128 not out was the bedrock of Gloucestershire's 258-7, but Worcestershire took enough wickets and squeezed the scoring enough to remain right in the contest.

Chris Benjamin was one of three batters to pass 50 for Kent as he top-scored with 70 in their 356-7 but Seb Morgan's four wickets means Middlesex will hope for a rapid conclusion on day two and a chance to get cracking on a good Canterbury pitch.

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Ricardo Vasconcelos stole the limelight on day one at Chester-le-Street with his unbeaten 181 overshadowing the appearance of suspended England Test captain Ben Stokes in the Durham side.

The Northants opener will resume this morning five runs short of recording a career-best first class score, all this after Durham won the toss and chose to bowl first.

"There's still a job to do - we've got to get as big a score as possible because that's going to be very important come day four," said Vasconcelos who was dropped on 13 and 136.

"We were going to bowl first as well. We thought it would do a bit in the morning and then it would get easier to bat on as the game went on."

Durham dropped four catches in total to put the Second Division leaders on the back foot going into day two.

"I'm very frustrated. Ricardo batted brilliantly," said Durham head coach Ryan Campbell.

"I'm not taking anything away from him, but we dropped him early on, we dropped Zaib early on, a couple of times. I've no doubt Northants would've bowled as well, but if you're going to bowl, you need to take your chances."

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It was a dream day one for Alex Green and his Leicestershire teammates at Grace Road yesterday.

The 19-year-old picked up his maiden first-class wickets - removing Matt Revis and then Yorkshire’s top-scorer James Wharton - as the visitors were bowled out for just 185.

Aggressive half-centuries from Rishi Patel (67) and Rehan Ahmed (65*) then helped the hosts close within eight runs of that total with seven wickets still intact.

“For me personally, getting that maiden first-class wicket was special," said Green.

"I've been fortunate enough to play in the other two formats and get wickets but that first wicket in the first-class game was what I was really, really looking for."

But Wharton remained bullish about Yorkshire's chances of turning the game around.

“I wasn’t part of the discussion about whether we batted first but we think it's going to turn as the game goes on, and if it opens up and cracks appear, then that brings our spinners into play," he said.

"We’d back ourselves to out-bowl them so I think that's probably the rationale behind it.”

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A superb century by Glamorgan wicketkeeper batter Chris Cooke rescued the Welsh club after Surrey paceman Gus Atkinson and his fellow bowlers reduced the hosts to 79-6.

Cooke's seventh-wicket partnership with Mason Crane (59*) is worth 165 overnight, pushing Glamorgan close to their first batting point.

Beforehand Atkinson, dropped by England on disciplinary grounds, took it out on Glamorgan with some hostile early spells, taking two cheap wickets and forcing Colin Ingram to retire after a blow on the hand.

"In a bit of trouble there so really nice to contribute," Cooke said after the day's play. "I think it was just about trying to form a partnership with Mase (Mason Crane) so was just trying to manage that situation, and after lunch when the ball went placid, it was obviously a bit nicer to bat after it did a bit first session.

"We obviously have a new ball first thing tomorrow morning to negotiate so hopefully [we'll] get through that."

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Sussex skittled Hampshire on day one at Hove for less than 200 as the home side took total control.

Sussex skipper Tom Haines took 2-17 and scored a quickfire half century for his side who now trail by just 70 runs with seven first-innings wickets still in hand.

Nick Gubbins (52) top-scored for Hampshire, who are second bottom of Division One, and have picked up just three batting points in the County Championship this season.

"This is very much a shoot out. The game’s about 60-40 in Sussex’s favour," he said after day one.

"It’s a tough wicket but we should have got 250. The spinners might come into it if we get enough runs in the second innings.

"We haven’t scored enough runs throughout the season. Batting is a confidence thing. Once you get that confidence flowing and partnerships going it tends to look after itself."

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Only Lewis Goldsworthy spared Somerset's blushes on day one at Taunton against Warwickshire.

Having won the toss, third-placed Somerset decided to bat and were bowled out for 208, with Beau Webster taking 4-23.

Yet the total could have been much more calamitous without Goldsworthy's 90.

"We felt that batting first would put us in the best position, because we didn't want to be facing spin while chasing a target on the last day," he said.

"But things didn't go quite to plan and we're a bit behind the eight-ball. The ball did quite a bit early on, but then batting became easier as the day went on."

The fourth-placed Bears were also in early trouble at 14-2 before unbeaten 37s from Dan Mousley and Sam Hain set up a decent foundation. They're 116 runs behind and looking to hammer home that early initiative this morning.

"The ball was still doing a bit when I came on to bowl and it felt as though it was coming out of my hand nicely," said Webster.

"Sam Hain and Dan Mousley then batted really well during the last couple of hours to put us in a good position."

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Nottinghamshire showed Essex what you need to win the title.

The defending champions gave the current leaders a tough first day at Chelmsford with Liam Patterson-White's career-best return of 6-43 helping to bowl out Essex cheaply before skipper Haseeb Hameed (68*) steered them into a strong position.

"We spoke to the groundsmen here and they said they put all their eggs into Simon Harmer’s basket for this wicket. I said at the start of the day I thought they had prepared a wicket for me not for him," said Patterson-White.

"As the game goes on in the next couple of days, with the weather as it is, nice and warm, Harmer and myself will come into the game a lot and we’ll have to see who comes out on top."

Essex director of cricket Chris Silverwood realises they have a big job on their hands to stay competitive.

"We need to refocus, regroup and make it as difficult as possible and get a wicket or two as quickly as possible to get back into the game," he said.

BBC Weather

There is an extreme heat warning in place for Monday and Tuesday in the south east.

Today is also looking to be a warm one.

You can check the forecast for where today's games are being played on the BBC.

Division One

Chelmsford: Essex 184 v Nottinghamshire 111-2

Cardiff: Glamorgan 244-6 v Surrey

Leicester: Leicestershire 177-3 v Yorkshire 185

Taunton: Somerset 208 v Warwickshire 92-2

Hove: Sussex 121-3 v Hampshire 191

Division Two

Chesterfield: Derbyshire 197-5 v Lancashire 161

Chester-le-Street: Durham v Northamptonshire 388-6

Canterbury: Kent 356-7 v Middlesex

Worcester: Worcestershire v Gloucestershire 258-7

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Despite the hot weather, the opening day was predominantly one for the bowlers in the County Championship.

In the five First Division games all the sides who won the toss chose to bat and by the close, only one, Glamorgan, had not been bowled out.

In Division Two the appearance of Ben Stokes for Durham was overshadowed by a wonderful knock from Northants batsman Ricardo Vasconcelos.

Who will make the headlines under the baking sun today?

Off we go again...