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Joe Cracknell aims a jab to a Liam Guthrie delivery and it beats the fielder's chase to the boundary rope.

It brings up the 300 for Middlesex and a second batting point as Cracknell reaches 79.

Northants ask the umpires to have a look at the state of the ball - and with just 14 balls before the new ball agree to fetch out a like-for-like replacement.

A relatively slower start to this morning's play for Somerset compared to the rate they were going at last night with James Rew picking up a couple of singles to move onto 79 not out.

Couple of plays and misses from Keith Barker as Sam Cook completes a seventh maiden from his 12 overs. Tidy stuff.

Sam Hain gets the scoreboard ticking as he turns Jamie Porter into the legside for a single.

Barker then gets off the mark to his ninth ball with a single.

Wicketkeeper Michael Pepper stands up to the stumps as Hain sees out the rest of the over.

Another 101 overs left in the day as we make up for lost time on day one.

Ed Seabourne
BBC Radio Bristol commentator

It's just a perfect line of length. It's not done a massive amount but it probably doesn't have to really if it's put on exactly that right spot.

The first couple of deliveries it looked like he was easing himself into his over and then that delivery.

Matt Taylor is a perfectly confident bowler who bats but that's what he is.

Two singles apiece for Joe Cracknell and Zafar Gohar from the opening two overs from Liam Guthrie and Calvin Harrison.

A thick outside edge from Cracknell facing Guthrie's second over of the morning brings a lucky four and takes him into the seventies.

Five away from the second new ball.

Keith Barker has nothing to do with the opening two balls as Sam Cook completes the over curtailed by the weather yesterday.

Sam Hain then plays out a cautious maiden to Jamie Porter who's one victim away from a five-for.

Interesting to see how the Bears will approach this.

Don Topley
BBC Essex

Image source, Rex Features

Zaman Akhter who picked up his maiden Essex wicket [yesterday] will be chuffed because he moved counties.

He's come from Gloucestershire and he will be looking to impress and perform well in front of his new teammates so there was a bit of pressure for Zaman.

He perhaps didn't bowl as straight as he wanted to initially but Essex's quartet of bowlers bowled very well.

George Balderson's first over of the second day is an accurate one and goes for a maiden.

James Anderson will support him at the other end.

Scott Read
BBC Radio Lancashire

Mitch Stanley is doing laps around the outfield this morning after suffering a back spasm, Tom Bailey is helping the bowlers warm up and the sunshine has replaced the dark clouds and rain of yesterday.

And somewhere in the middle is Ollie Sutton, fresh from his taxi ride from Leicester to Bristol.

He's Lancashire's injury replacement, the other two bowlers mentioned, both included in the squad but due to unable to replace the injured Ajeet Singh Dale.

Bailey, Lancashire's preferred replacement was deemed to be too experienced so Ollie Sutton playing in a second team match, a over a hundred miles away, jumped into a taxi and joined his teammates in the team hotel last night.

On the field, Lancashire will be hoping to rattle through the Gloucestershire lower order this morning and start batting.

Hampshire bowler Kyle Abbott gets us under way at The Utilita Bowl and Tom Abell fends the first ball away into the on side.

Zafar Gohar (62) and Joe Cracknell (66) played a great hand yesterday to get Middlesex out of a hole at 164-6.

A second batting point, which had looked a long way off at times, is now just 16 runs away.

They will look to build on their 120-run stand, while the refreshed Northants attack will look to make use of the new ball which arrives in seven overs’ time.

Liam Guthrie will get us rock and rolling with Cracknell facing the first ball.

Sam Hain played a lone hand for Warwickshire in tough batting conditions on day one.

He resumes on 44 trying to bolster an under-par total, but with brighter skies which could be good for batting.

Essex’s attack will be fresh after such a long break off the field and gunning for those three final wickets so they can put their feet up again.

Sam Cook opens the bowling with Keith Barker on strike.

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 Hampshire against Somerset, day two.

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Last night, it was confirmed that Lancashire attempted to replace injured seamer Ajeet Singh Dale with Tom Bailey but saw their request turned down by the ECB.

Former Gloucestershire man Singh Dale tweaked his hamstring when running into bowl yesterday morning and was replaced in the field immediately by Harry Singh without returning for the rest of the day.

The Red Rose tried to replace him with fellow seamer Bailey, but the ECB deemed that the 34-year-old was not a suitable replacement, and Ollie Sutton will now step in to the XI after arriving following the conclusion of Lancs' second XI match at Leicestershire yesterday

Read what Lancashire head coach Steven Croft had to say here.

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Middlesex were in danger of looking a trifle silly at 20-3 in the first hour of day one, having opted to bat first on a pacy pitch.

But after Leus du Plooy (51) got the recovery up and running with Ben Geddes (65), the middle order kept it rolling.

Zafar Gohar (62*) and Joe Cracknell (66*) will resume their unbroken 120-run partnership for the seventh wicket after bad light ended play on day one with 23 overs still remaining.

From 164-6 they carried the visitors to a batting point and have more in their sights.

“It was about staying sharp and staying nice and switched on because we knew as a big partnership and a couple of wickets could easily go bang, bang, and that changes the course of the game," said wicketkeeper-batter Cracknell.

“The plan tomorrow is to get as many as we can and then be as sharp as you can with the new ball. It definitely offers something for the guys up top.

Much will depend on how the new ball behaves for Northants when it’s offered in just seven overs’ time.

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George Balderson showed his class for Lancashire on day one against Gloucestershire before rain stopped play in Bristol just shy of 14:45 BST yesterday.

The right-arm seamer picked up 4-27 in 16 overs, including a spell of 3-5 either side of lunch, as the Red Rose crashed through the hosts' top order.

It was another disappointing opening day for the hosts who remain rooted to the foot of the Division Two table and hopes of a first point of the season are fading away if they do not improve with the bat this morning.

With the weather forecast looking much brighter in the South West today, Lancashire will have eyes on finishing the job in the field early today before getting runs on the board to try and force a result after only 44 overs were bowled yesterday.

Tommy Boorman, 21, making his Championship debut, returns to the crease for Gloucestershire unbeaten on 11 alongside Matt Taylor on nine, with James Anderson set to open the bowling this morning for Lancs.

This morning, the Red Rose confirmed that youngster Ollie Sutton has arrived with the squad, stepping into the XI as an injury replacement for Ajeet Singh Dale, who pulled his hamstring when attempting to bowl the first ball of his third over yesterday morning.

Image source, Getty Images

Having won an important toss, Essex made full use of it on day one, reducing the home side to 113-7 before the rain prevented them from wrapping up the innings.

But they will be pleased that their batters will have much better overhead conditions today after they’ve dispatched the remaining Bears wickets.

“We got off to a good start and then kept the pressure on which was very pleasing,” said Jamie Porter, who took 4-36.

“Conditions were good for bowling but it's hard to judge a pitch until both teams have batted on it.

"At this time of year, wickets tend to get better as the match goes on and we'll be hoping, from this position, that happens to a degree.”

Home supporters will hope they have the consolation of a batting landmark to cheer with same Hain resuming on 44 after a super knock in the circumstances.

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Somerset return to the crease on day two after enjoying a good night's sleep following an excellent performance in the field on Friday in the Southampton sunshine.

Three wickets apiece for Craig Overton and Lewis Gregory helped the Division One league leaders skittle Hampshire all out for 238 on a pitch which wasn't doing a great deal.

Good line and length bowling from Gregory (3-45) saw him dismiss top order batsman Toby Albert (42) while Jake Lehmann top scored for the hosts for 76 before he was last man out to a bit of Archie Vaughan off-spin.

In reply, Somerset got off to the worst possible start when opener Josh Thomas was dismissed for a second-ball duck, but a fourth-wicket partnership currently worth 80 between wicketkeeper-batsman James Rew - who is on England's radar - and Tom Abell put Somerset into a commanding position.

Rew's final shot of the day - a classic cover drive - put him onto 77 not out at the close of play in an innings which has showed both grit and attacking intent which would be an asset to Brendon McCullum's side. He will look to continue where he left off last night with conditions remaining good on the South Coast this morning.