That's the spirit, Christopher.

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While the Hampshire batters will soon be seeking to score some runs at the Oval, England skipper Ben Stokes will have to wait until the second Test against New Zealand on 17 June to do the same.

Stokes' batting is "not too far away" from a return to form, says head coach Brendon McCullum.

Stokes returned scores of 12 and nought in England's first-Test win over New Zealand, but was not alone in struggling for runs on a Lord's surface that made batting a challenge.

The all-rounder averaged 18 during England's Ashes series defeat and dropped down the order one place to number seven for the first Test against the Black Caps, swapping positions with Surrey wicketkeeper (sometimes) Jamie Smith.

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Whatever kind of weird dance you've been doing in your living room or office has officially worked, people...

The children are going to see some cricket.

Keep those fingers crossed for no showers in the next 28 minutes...

If we avoid them then 71.4 overs are scheduled in the day.

it's a tricky one, Alex. I know (from bitter experience, much of it in 2020) that being pestered by children while trying to perform your actual job is hard to balance. Good on the steward though! Nice for them to feel like a celebrity for the day.

On a separate note, I wonder if any of the kids at the Oval has their arm in a cast today? Surely no better way to collect autographs in life that that?

A sign of the changing times... cricket in 2026 is very different to the cricket of even 30 years ago.

We live in hope of a positive outcome... the latest band of rain has swept to the east.

Will keep you posted on the outcome...

Right, while the players head for a spot of lunch, we'll do the same... we'll return at 13:10 BST and will hopefully have an update on the state of play at the Oval and some more cap and out ground chat...

Wonderful stuff. I also like working out how long a player has been around by the colour of their cap.

The sun plays havoc with the dye, fading the colour. Darren Stevens' Kent cap was dark blue once upon a time but looked more like Surrey brown for the final few seasons of his time at Canterbury.

There's probably something in that, Gordon. But based on experience rather than today, there's nothing like being at a live sporting event, the sights and sounds, the electricity in the air (yes, even on day two of a County Championship match)... it's also great for kids who already love the game to show off their knowledge to their friends and see it being played at the highest level. And on an ordinary day to get a chance to go on the outfield at lunch. Sadly something they won't be able to do today. A core childhood memory cruelly denied by Mother Nature.

Saying all that I'll never forget the poor little boy at Taunton a couple of seasons back who had brought along a home-made sign in homage to big-hitting Will Smeed, only to discover he was not involved in the red ball side.

Fully acknowledged, Ben.

Sibley made 39 from 102 balls, with seven fours, almost universally beautifully-timed clips off his pads to the leg-side boundary. Is there anyone better at it in the game at present? Not sure there is.

He had a ding-dong battle with Kyle Abbott with the ball doing all sorts off the green track under heavy cloud before lunch, and took a couple of eye-watering blows amidships, as well as playing and missing at a few, but he made the bowlers toil which certainly helped build the platform for Dan Lawrence and Ollie Pope to cut loose after lunch.

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Not unexpected, but the right outcome...

An early lunch will be taken at 12:30 BST, meaning the players will be ready to take the field just as soon as conditions allow after 13:10 BST.

The ground staff are at work after a soggy morning in south London, and there might be a bit more to come in the next 20 minutes too, looking at the radar.

Just look at those fixtures... North Marine Road in Scarborough, Stanley Park in Blackpool.

How great are out grounds?

Let us know your favourites by clicking on the yellow get involved button over there.

While we still have a couple more days of this game between Surrey and Hampshire to come, all being well, after today, there's a wonderful slate of red-ball matches on the horizon starting on Friday, with hopefully some more June-like weather.

We'll be here for every ball of all four days, of course...

Division One

Leicestershire v Essex – Leicester

Nottinghamshire v Somerset – Trent Bridge

Sussex v Glamorgan – Hove

Yorkshire v Warwickshire - Scarborough

Division Two

Durham v Derbyshire – Chester-le-Street

Lancashire v Kent – Blackpool

Northamptonshire v Gloucestershire – Northampton

Worcestershire v Middlesex - Worcester

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If a few of these boys looked up from their phones for a moment they might just see a spot of blue sky over Kennington. Hopefully they are just checking the weather app, or indeed this page!

It might prove to be a false dawn, however, as there looks to be another band of rain rolling in from the west in the not too distant future.

The better news is that things look pretty encouraging after that... here's hoping we see some action in the afternoon and evening session at least.

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I can try, Montague.

There are no rules, per se, as to when a player might receive the ceremonial honour of a county cap. Every club does things slightly differently. It's generally a measure of the standing of the player within the team, the length of their service or sometimes their overall stature in the game.

We've seen overseas players capped on debut, stalwart pros rewarded for their dedication to the club after many years and everything in between.

Director of cricket Alec Stewart is very much a traditionalist and Surrey do not dish them out lightly by any means.

In truth many of us, including Mr Surrey Cricket himself, BBC Radio London's Mark Church, had not realised until yesterday tea-time that Dan Lawrence had not yet received his.

But since 2024 he's proved himself to be a first-team standout across the formats. I suspect he'd have been getting it yesterday whether he made 15 or the 150* he was at tea, not least due to his Friday night heroics in the Blast.

Gone are the days when these caps meant a pay rise, a better parking space or a fancy tie, but to have your name etched into a club's history, especially a club like Surrey, founded in 1845, remains a real honour.

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If we're being positive, the skies look more silver than grey, and there are few harder-working ground staff than at the Oval.

I'm staying positive of cricket today, though whether it comes before the lunch interval is another matter...

The one thing surely nobody in this great game of ours wants is a few overs of action before a 40 minute break.

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If you and I are miffed at the lack of play this morning, spare a thought for the teachers and TAs who have accompanied thousands of children to the Oval for the annual school's day, and have no way of distracting the poor blighters.

It's honestly one of my favourite days of the summer, around 7,000 kids were expected today, and they go absolutely bananas for every little thing that happens, even if they might not all actually understand precisely what is going on, and will clamber over each other to get the autograph of a sub fielder whose name they likely don't know, let alone their average and strike rate.

The hubbub around the ground on days like this is wonderful, think of it like a pleasant version of a vuvuzela crowd...

Let's just keep our fingers crossed things brighten up and we can give those kids some cricket to enjoy.

Sadly not at this stage, Simon, though it seems the worst wave of rain has passed over and is heading towards Kent at this point.

Looks like a half-hour or so before a second, lighter band sweeps in, however, so if I were you I'd keep an eye out of the window and don't give up on that crossword just yet. Oh, and Drink Responsibly!

We'll of course keep you updated on anything official right here...

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Yesterday was an unusual day on a cricket calendar which many would say is already fairly unusual.

There was Test cricket at Lord's, County Championship cricket at the Oval and a host of T20 Blast games elsewhere in the country.

Click here for a round-up of Sunday's white-ball action.

The first block of white-ball action wraps up with three more fixtures tomorrow evening, weather permitting, of course.

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Though they could take over at the top with a win over Hampshire this week (weather permitting, of course) not many would have expected Surrey to be sitting seventh in Division One, with one win from six games to this point.

The Division One table is incredibly tight, with just 20 points separating Yorkshire, in eighth, from leaders and defending champions Notts.

Warwickshire sit second, and Bears all-rounder Dan Mousley believes they can win their first county title since 2021.

Click here for the full story.