Re Somerset bowling stocks, I spent the whole winter eagerly anticipating who our second overseas fast bowler would be... to be left disappointed an confused. I assume finances the reason? Odd as a lot of players left.

Dave, Wiltshire

Huge appeal from Matt Milnes as he raps Alex Lees on the pads with the final ball of the opening over.

Height looks good but perhaps just outside the line, despite Milnes' contortion (good job he stretched properly first).

Ben McKinney puts the first runs on the board with a couple of nice slashes off Glenton Stuurman to the rope in the second over, the first through the covers, the second past point.

Josh Thomas got off the mark with a single last ball off Olly Stone.

Dillon Pennington, another of Notts' former Worcestershire bowlers, takes the opening over from the Marcus Trescothick Pavilion End.

He bowls a couple of beauties in a maiden, but Thomas plays well inside the line, Tom Kohler-Cadmore not needing to face a single delivery in the first two overs.

Skipper Haseeb Hameed optimistically sporting his trademark floppy at mid off, one of those special sights of cricket in whites.

An early boundary for Daniel Hughes off Ian Holland.

New signing Yadvinder Singh is entrusted with the new ball at the other end in what is only his third first-class game.

The 30-year-old's second ball is too full and Tom Haines drives down the ground for four.

He responds with a good one which beats Haines' outside edge.

Welcome back, Michael, but just how long have you been hibernating?

Just the one England international seamer for the champions for their title defending opener then.

Olly Stone in to Josh Thomas from the River End, Brett Hutton being injured is a big loss for Notts.

As are Josh Tongue and Ben Duckett, but enough about those who are not here, Rob Lord getting an opportunity with the ball shortly is another exciting option for the away side.

Jack Leaning and Tom Price make their debuts for Sussex at Grace Road, but it will be Tom Haines and Aussie Daniel Hughes opening the batting after Leicestershire won the toss and put them in.

BBC Radio Leicester's Richard Rae says the home side have a few injuries among their bowlers and new skipper Ian Holland will take the new ball.

What a game this should be.

Ed Barnard has won the toss and opted to let his 'stacked' bowling attack loose on the 2025 runners-up.

There's no Jordan Clark for Surrey due to illness with Sean Abbott coming into the side, which features Jamie Smith at three, ahead of Ollie Pope, with Ben Foakes taking the gloves.

Jordan Thompson and Nathan Gilchrist join Chris Woakes and Ethan Bamber in the Bears XI.

Woakes bowls the opening over of the summer with Rory Burns on strike and Dom Sibley at the other end, back on familiar territory.

For a second tier game, this one looks like a humdinger.

Many eyes will be on Zak Crawley, named in the Kent side, with Daniel Bell-Drummond winning the toss and inserting the hosts. With Ben McKinney getting the first chance to showcase his own England top-order credentials.

Matthew Potts will get to bowl at Crawley when Kent reply while Will Rhodes is a late scratch for the hosts with Colin Ackermann taking his place in the XI and Kemar Roach and Kasey Aldridge make their first appearances for Durham.

Sam Northeast, Matt Milnes and Keith Dudgeon make their second Kent debuts while Glenton Stuurman gets his first and Chris Benjamin is picked behind the stumps.

Alex Lees and McKinney head out for the opening session, a little early, what's two minutes after six months off, with Milnes taking the first over of the season.

Preamble over. Time for action.

Image source, Getty Images

Six months on from Nottinghamshire winning the County Championship, we are moments away from the 2026 campaign getting under way.

Notts' first title since 2010 ended three seasons of dominance by Surrey, denying them a fourth four-day trophy in a row.

Following England's Ashes humiliation in the winter, the focus is now back on the county game and who might give the selectors a nudge by finding form in the opening few weeks.

All 18 counties are in action this weekend, and perhaps the stakes have never been higher for those dusting off their whites.

Click here for all you need to know about the season, and whether it really is a clean slate for the county game.

It's never been easier to join the conversation and get things off your chest.

Simply click the shiny golden button on the top left of this page to share your views on the events of the day.

Glad to be back? How will your team fare in 2026? Who do you think will be celebrating and commiserating 178 days from now?

Get your messages and predictions in and we'll publish a selection of them right here throughout the day.

BBC Sounds

As usual, you can follow every ball of every County Championship match with the BBC this summer.

Along with our live text coverage our BBC Local Radio and 5 Live Sports Extra commentary teams will be out in force to ensure you do not miss a thing.

You can listen via the BBC Sport website and app but also on most smart speakers - just ask BBC Sounds to play the game you want but also state the day as well.

For example, ask BBC Sounds to play Warwickshire against Surrey, day one.

It is raining in Southampton where an 11am inspection will no doubt conclude.... that it is raining in Southampton.

But plenty to look forward to when this clash gets under way later.

Too early in the campaign for a mid-table clash? Perhaps not as both Hampshire and Essex look to build on underwhelming seasons in 2025.

Indeed mid-table would be an improvement for Hampshire who kept their Division One status in tact on the final day of last season edging a tight battle with Durham by a point.

Jake Lehmann has arrived as a homegrown player after 'defecting' to UK on a British passport and the Australian domestic player of the year in 2025-26 will do wonders for their resilience at the top of the order.

The evergreen Kyle Abbott is joined by Codi Yusuf with the pair hoping to provide some kick with the ball and with Sonny Baker, Eddie Jack and John Turner in the ranks they should pack a punch.

For Essex it seems a long while since they won the title in 2019 and their sixth placed finish last season was average all round.

Director of cricket Chris Silverwood has brought in Wiaan Mulder for the opening months while Jordan Cox is away at the IPL. Zaman Akhter latterly of Gloucestershire and Durham seamer Mitchell Killeen, further bolster the attack.

What is clear is that Essex's youth ranks need to produce some new talent as well

When Cox does return he will hope that his stand-ins have provided a platform for him to shine and much depends the likes of Charlie Allison and teenage quicks Mackenzie Jones and Charlie Bennett stepping up.

Image source, Shutterstock

One big change this summer, announced just a few days ago, is that replacement players will be allowed in county cricket this summer in a season-long trial.

This will include illnesses and significant life-changing events, such as a player dropping out of a game to attend the birth of a child.

And substitute players will be able to take a full part in the game, rather than being restricted to fielding duties only.

Wonder who the first cricket sub to make a century will be.

For more details on the change, click here to read the full story.

Harry Everett
BBC Sport from Taunton

Image source, Harry Everett

I got sunburnt gardening and coaching cricket on grass yesterday.

No danger of that today but a massive positive is the greatly improving forecast that had today's chance of play as very little until recent hours. The covers are being removed and all players warming up, set for an on time start.

Somerset CEO Jamie Cox is currently sporting a lovely green jumper inspecting the first wicket of the season which you would expect either side to bowl first on.

Lewis Gregory will not be making that decision though, having been fit, training hard here for weeks since his SA20 stint, he has damaged his pec, so Craig Overton takes the reigns and Somerset's depleted seam bowling stocks this year are already being dug into.

Ben Duckett, who is desperate to find some first-class batting form is not here, nor is England's one bright bowling spark from the Ashes, Josh Tongue. That is one for higher powers to explain, not I.

Michael Atherton could be one to ask (I will give him five minutes to get a coffee) sat next to me in a press box bulging at the seams, a great sign for the start of a competition cricketing nations around the world envy.

Notts win the toss and bowl.

Image source, Getty Images

Division One, beware. For the first time in four years, Surrey enter a new season without the 'defending champions' tag.

Skipper Rory Burns said this week: "We have been (the ones) with the target on our backs. We're now chasing someone else and trying to get back to No1."

Alec Stewart is also back in his full-time role as director of cricket this season.

The former England captain, who turns 63 next week, stepped back from the job in 2024 to support his wife Lynn, who sadly died last April after a courageous fight with cancer over more than a decade.

"Surrey has always been my home," he said. "My priorities have always been to support the cricket management team and the squad to be the best county in the country, to bring cricketers into our professional squad through our pathway system and help players to fulfil their dreams of representing their country."

New Warwickshire skipper Ed Barnard is hoping their increased strength in depth can inspire them to challenge for a first County title since 2021 after a fifth-placed finish last year.

After retiring from international cricket Chris Woakes is part of what he calls a 'stacked' bowling attack and, with a favourable forecast over the four days at Edgbaston and a glut of top talent on display, this is shaping up to be a brilliant start to the campaign.

Image source, Shutterstock

Leicestershire have been out of the top flight even longer than Glamorgan - it was 2003 when Grace Road last staged a Division One fixture in the County Championship.

But after dominating the second tier last summer, finishing 48 points clear at the top, they will be looking for a good start with Australia opener Jake Weatherald added to their squad this week and all-rounder Rehan Ahmed aiming to repeat last season's form and force his way into the England Test squad.

Sussex's first task will be to get their points total into the black as soon as possible as they start the season on minus 12 after being punished by the ECB for "sustained operating losses", which prompted the resignation of chairman John Filby.

They have a new Championship captain in Ollie Robinson, who replaces John Simpson, and one of the most talked-about players on the circuit in James Coles, following his 'big bucks' Hundred deal with London Spirit.

You can read an excellent interview with Ollie Robinson by clicking here.

Image source, Shutterstock

The clocks have gone forward and daytime temperatures are creeping above a balmy 10C (50F). That can only mean one thing... the County Championship season is upon us.

All 18 teams will be in action in this week's curtain-raiser, but what does this campaign have in store?

We have asked BBC local radio county cricket commentators to take a look at each club's prospects.

Click here for your guide to the 2026 season.

Division One

Cardiff: Glamorgan v Yorkshire

Start delayed - rain

Utilita Bowl: Hampshire v Essex

Start delayed - inspection at 11:00

Leicester: Leicestershire v Sussex

Leics won toss and put Sussex in

Taunton: Somerset v Nottinghamshire

Notts won toss and put Somerset in

Edgbaston: Warwickshire v Surrey

Warwicks won toss and put Surrey in

Division Two

Derby: Derbyshire v Worcestershire

Worcs won toss and put Derbys in

Riverside: Durham v Kent

Kent won toss and put Durham in

Lord's: Middlesex v Gloucestershire

Gloucs won toss and put Middlesex in

Northampton: Northamptonshire v Lancashire

Lancs won toss and will bat