stand for Durhampublished at 14:27 BST 3 April

14:27 BST 3 April

Durham 187-3 v Kent

Another sublime stroke from Emilio Gay, standing tall to carve Joey Evison for a boundary past backward point, his 17th, which takes him to 93*.

He follows it up with a cute glance to the rope at third from the next ball for another four.

He has 97* and that brings up the century stand with Graham Clark in just 113 deliveries.

He's hauled his side on top in this see-saw Division Two encounter.

50 partnership between Rew and Abellpublished at 14:26 BST 3 April

14:26 BST 3 April

Som 117-3 v Notts

After that expensive over from Olly Stone, Rob Lord replaces him at the River End, just a middling Lyndon James over between them.

How Notts would love to have Brett Hutton or Josh Tongue to toss the ball to now with Somerset's two best batters at the crease.

94 balls for the half century partnership.

Is now a good time to remind readers that James Rew and Tom Abell set a record fourth-wicket partnership for Somerset as they recovered from nought for two to reach 338 for four on day one of their match against Nottinghamshire last July.

It was v a Kookaburra ball though-does that deem all batting records obsolete therefore?

Image source, Shutterstock

Easy as you like, Tom Clark tucks a ball from Sam Wood off his hip for a single as he and James Coles post the third half-century partnership of the Sussex first innings - this one taking 96 balls.

"A big patch of blue sky is drifting in our direction, which is rather good news," said BBC Sussex's Adrian Harms.

Gorgeous cricket shot from Ben Foakes.

He's clipped Ethan Bamber and Chris Woakes for lovely leg-side glances for four but now drives Ed Barnard back past the bowler and to the long-off rope to move to 17*.

The timing on these, on the opening day of the season, is something else.

His side are limping towards three figures as we approach the 40th over.

Ben Green has been the pick of Leicestershire's attack thus far but he gives James Coles too much width with that one and is driven for four.

Coles very much a player to keep an eye on this summer. He is now 24 not out and he and Tom Clark are one run away from a 50 stand.

Another glorious square drive from Emilio Gay off a wide one from Matt Milnes takes Gay to 88* with his 16th boundary.

Joey Evison returns to the attack as Kent search for inspiration but Graham Clark is also warming up and moves to 30* with his fifth four.

Kent are toiling rather at the moment as the run rate hovers just below five an over.

Tom Abell with a trademark flick off his legs for four, that sounded beautiful, and moments later he goes further in front of square beating midwicket this time for four.

The former England contracted bowler replies by beating his outside edge, but another driven single, this time through the off side means nine off Olly Stone's latest over all to Somerset's former skipper.

Ben Foakes and Tom Lawes are doing a good job of steadying things down as Chris Woakes tries to turn the screw on Surrey.

They have 19 runs between them in the past six overs, 16 of which have come from boundaries.

Beau Webster is thrown the ball for the first time this season to try and find a seventh wicket.

Sonny Baker has hit Tom Westley on the glove and it is enough to force a change with the Essex skipper going off for treatment.

He was going okay on 28 at the time but it has just lifted on him and rapped his right glove. It didn't look much with Westley taking his time to remove his glove and give it a shake.

But his retirement has brought Matt Critchley to the crease as replacement.

We all have everything crossed, Morgan. We'll know more in the next half-an-hour or so...

Graham Clark gets a stroke of luck as Keith Dudgeon gets one to spit up and find the shoulder of the bat but it flies just to the right of Zak Crawley at first slip who can't get that big rig down in time to get a hand on it and it runs away for four.

Durham dealing solely in fours at the moment. 29 in the 35 overs so far. 116 of their 166 run total.

Postpublished at 14:09 BST 3 April

14:09 BST 3 April

Leics v Sussex 173-2

Looks like we spoke too soon.

Having taken a few minutes to play himself back in, Tom Clark launches a ball from Tom Scriven over mid-wicket for the third six of his innings.

Excellent timing - and he is 66 not out.

Change of pace with Calvin Harrison returning to test Josh Bohannon.

The tall leg-spinner bowled pretty nicely in two overs before the break and while there was no conspicuous turn there was a bit of bounce and challenging flight in his 12 balls.

His fourth delivery gets an edge which flies wide of slip for four but that is a moral victory for the bowler. In the words of Sir Beefy, 'he won't mind that'.

100 up for Somersetpublished at 14:08 BST 3 April

14:08 BST 3 April

100-3 Som v Notts after 37 overs

No points for it, but a round mile stone that supporters like to applaud nonetheless and it seems right to mention the first of this kind of the season.

Tom Abell and James Rew are going about their business professionally as the sun peaks out here, negative naysaying forecasters being proved wrong again, the near 2000 here particularly glad they ignored it!

Olly Stone and Lyndon James still bowling, no changes so far from Hameed after lunch.

Leicestershire have certainly tightened things up at Grace Road, but the umpires have had a chat about the light.

They're not coming off yet, though, and Tom Scriven will start his 10th over of the game. He has 0-40 so far.

Short from Matt Milnes and telegraphed wonderfully by Emilio Gay who pulls across his body, not needing to move his feet or an ounce of weight, and wallops past Joey Evison who has to take evasive action at mid-wicket before the ball races to the rope.

Gay onto 80* with his 14th boundary. Durham have 104 of their 154 runs via boundaries.

Olly Hannon-Dalby takes his first wicket for Worcestershire, having Derbyshire's Matt Montgomery caught at gully for 11. That was a pretty loose shot and the home side are now 112-2 in the 33rd over.

Leus du Plooy has helped himself to a couple of early fours of Middlesex and is 16 not out as they continue to toil in tough batting conditions against Gloucestershire at Lord's - they are 79-2.

Graham Clark tickles one down the leg side off Keith Dudgeon for four to bring up the Durham 150 in the 33rd over.

That's his second boundary and takes him to 18*, playing a solid supporting role to the more expansive Emilio Gay.

Looks like a decent pitch to bat on, so the likes of Zak Crawley and Sam Northeast in the slips will be getting an up-close view of what they can look forward to... they'll certainly hope later this afternoon.

Emilio Gay moves to 76* with a couple more boundaries off Matt Milnes, taking him to 13 overall.

The first is a lovely no-doubter drive through the covers, though the second is a slightly more fortunate thick outside edge which flashes across the slips.

He's the one Kent want, and arguably need, if they are to put themselves into a position of control.