Jack Haynes and Joe Clarke are batting nicely, putting loose full deliveries away with cover and straight drives and surviving the beauties anyway they can.

Alfie Ogborne still around rather than over the wicket from the River End, just the two slips in now as deep point is protecting the dug outs outside the Andy Caddick Pavilion.

Nick Gledhill
BBC Essex

After Hampshire got themselves back into the game with the second new ball, Essex have regained control through Matt Critchley’s career-best 173 and enterprising betting by Simon Harmer and Shane Snater.

Critchley played a superb anchor role, avoiding risk when consolidation was required. After averaging 43 last season to go with his 28 wickets the batting all-rounder has become a pivotal player in the Essex side.

Coach Chris Silverwood will also be pleased to see Harmer and Snater contributing well after both were short of their best with the bat in the last campaign.

Hampshire’s seamers again posed less threat with the older ball and their batters will be wary of Essex making too many early inroads when their turn surely comes in the next session.

Great first over from Matt Milnes, beating the edge a couple of times and discomfiting Ben McKinney on several occasions.

A leg bye gets the scoreboard ticking.

Glenton Stuurman will take the ball from the other end.

Injury delaypublished at 16:16 BST 4 April

16:16 BST 4 April

Northants 200-9 v Lancs 384

A loose full toss from Ajeet Singh Dale is hammered by Harry Conway straight into the chest of George Bell at short leg.

Immediate concern from the batter but it appears that Bell is okay.

So, Sussex lead by 116 - and they will be fancying their chances of a season-opening win here.

Tom Haines and Daniel Hughes are again their openers and Haines picks up their first run in Ian Holland's first over.

Alex Lees and Ben McKinney stride out under lighter skies at the Riverside and Durham will seek to build on their lead of 138 on first innings.

Matt Milnes will take the fresh cherry for the visitors.

Adrian Harms
BBC Sussex

No doubt the headlines will be made by Ollie Robinson who said before the start of the season that he hadn't bowled well enough in the last two years to be in England contention.

Today he showed he's back to his best bowling with pace and skill he lead from the front, and gave the selectors a little nudge that he's far from finished as an England bowler.

However the honour of the match ball went to Henry Crocombe who bowled with pace to take a career best 5-33 and give Sussex an advantage of 166 on first innings.

It could have been far worse for Leicestershire but Ben Cox and Ben Green added 81 for the 8th wicket and steered the hosts past any thought of following on.

Harry Everett
BBC Sport from Taunton

A rare maiden to Joe Clarke from Miggy Pretorius.

Alfie Ogborne is going to get a go from the River End having bowled nine overs in a three, then six over spell from the Pavilion End earlier.

He starts around the wicket to the right-handed Jack Haynes.

Still no bowling from Jack Leach, Tom Lammonby, Tom Abell, Josh Thomas or Lewis Goldsworthy in this innings, 40 overs in.

Yes, perhaps bar TKC, they all bowl, James Rew even takes great pleasure in talking me through his left-arm spin figures when he makes Thomas keep in the odd Taunton St Andrews WEPL game they get together!

The occasional spin of Nick Gubbins brings the second session to a close and that is tea.

Simon Harmer (60) and Shane Snater (27) have built yet another frustrating partnership for their hosts who are looking tired, flat and fairly devoid of ideas after 134 over in the field.

It is 132-1 since lunch for Essex who lost Matt Critchley for 173 towards the end of the afternoon session but have otherwise continued to travel in comfort.

stand for Warwickshirepublished at 16:08 BST 4 April

16:08 BST 4 April

Warwicks 256-2 v Surrey 328

Sam Hain and Dan Mousley have added 100 runs for the third wicket in 163 balls.

Hain brings up the milestone with a single off Dan Lawrence before Mousley cracks a powerful sweep to the fence to finish the over by moving to 61*.

Ralphie Albert was preparing to return from the City End but Sean Abbott is being thrown the ball instead. Interesting.

Umpires are okay with his added pace in the gloom.

No further joy for Yorkshire before the interval at Cardiff, with Timm van der Gugten and Mason Crane still together on 31 and 22 respectively.

Glamorgan are, though, going to have to try and push on if they wish to acquire a second batting point as they only have nine overs remaining to score the 39 runs required.

Colin Ingram played the innings of the day for the Welsh county, scoring 103 off 226 balls before he was the last to go, caught behind off Ben Coad.

We're back out after tea, but for how long, who knows.

The light is not good and the video screens are burning through the gloom. The umpires have already had one chat.

33 overs remain, in principle, but we'll continue with spin from both ends through Dan Lawrence and Ralphie Albert.

Mike Taylor
BBC WM commentator

Dan Mousley and Sam Hain both reached untroubled half-centuries shortly before tea, as Warwickshire made the most of more benign batting conditions to take command of this match for a second time.

Rob Yates fell 25 minutes after lunch, pushing to first slip during an accurate spell from Sean Abbott. But the other seamers struggled to maintain a consistent line, with Hain in particular easing anything to the legside into space for runs.

Matt Fisher changed ends for his third spell but was unable to stem the rhythm of boundaries that kept the scoring rate above four an over.

The only bowler to achieve that was Ralphie Albert, whose left-arm spin, delivered mostly from round the wicket, appeared for seven boundary-free overs before tea. Two appeals against Mousley late in the session were rejected, but he at least offered Rory Burns some control.

For the batters, this has so far been an ideal pipe-opener for the new season. All four have passed 50 and maintained a brisk rate without particularly forcing the pace.

Poor light saw the players off one over early for tea, but unless that persists, Warwickshire are on course to be well ahead by dusk.

Image source, Shutterstock

One player not involved in this round of matches is Worcestershire's overseas signing Beyers Swanepoel, who walked out of a cup final in South Africa early on Sunday to catch a flight to the UK.

His future is now being considered by the Lions franchise and Cricket South Africa.

Cody Yusuf, now with Hampshire, was also playing in that game and here's what he told BBC Radio Solent about the situation.

"I was aware his flight was cutting it tight to finish the game. When he left the field I was not fully aware he had left, I was counting my fielders.

"The boundary riders for me were very important so I just made sure I had my five fielders where I wanted them to be. I didn’t even notice we were one player short until 47th or 46th over."

Tea has crept by but the covers are coming off under brighter skies and we should have cricket in under 15 minutes.

44 overs will remain in the day, so I suggest you don't make any early dinner plans.

First job done by Worcestershire - getting to the tea interval without losing a wicket, which arrives with Dan Lategan 40 not out and Jake Libby on 23.

Earlier, Martin Andersson hit a magnificent 228 for Derbyshire before he was caught and bowled by Brett D'Oliveira.

He shared a stand of 273 with Luis Reece - who made 114 - after the home side began the day on 391-4.

Well when you put it like that, Nick...