Ben Foakes made 76 as Surrey recovered from 77 for four to reach 340 for seven against Lancashire on day one of their LV= Insurance County Championship title defence.
Cameron Steel was unbeaten on 86 at the close as Lancashire’s attack toiled throughout the afternoon despite three wickets for Tom Bailey.
Jamie Smith made 54 off 92 balls, and put on 87 in partnership with Foakes, who was eventually removed by a brilliant catch from Colin de Grandhomme.
Hampshire’s Mohammad Abbas gave promoted Nottinghamshire a rude welcome back to Division One as he took six for 49 to bowl them out for 185.
The Pakistan fast bowler ripped through the top order and then finished off the tail, with Tom Moores making 49 and Joe Clarke 47.
Fletcha Middleton then made an impressive 56 not out on debut as Hampshire got to 119 for three by the close.
Dan Lawrence guided Essex through a gloomy day at newly-promoted Middlesex as the visitors reached the close on 162 for three.
Lawrence once again made a case for England consideration with 74 not out before bad light and rain brought an early finish to the day.
Lawrence shared a stand of 121 with captain Tom Westley on a tough day for the Middlesex bowlers, with captain Toby Roland-Jones the best of them with two for 42.
Kent had the better of a rain-affected first day against Northamptonshire at Canterbury, reducing the visitors to 89 for seven before an early close.
Grant Stewart took three for six and Michael Hogan two for 36 as Northants struggled in the dark conditions, with Ricardo Vasconcelos making 39 but struggling for support.
There was no play between Somerset and Warwickshire due to a wet outfield.
In Division Two, Finlay Bean’s maiden century helped Yorkshire make 285 for three off 60 overs against Leicestershire on a rain-hit opening day at Headingley.
The 20-year-old Bean made 118 while Dawid Malan was 91 not out.
Durham had the better of the opening day against Sussex at Hove as they reached 352 for seven at the close despite a delayed start.
Michael Jones made 87 and Alex Lees 79, while Graham Clark made 61 in just eight overs.
Glamorgan took control of their match against Gloucestershire, putting the visitors in to bat and then bowling them out for 165.
Timm van der Gugten took five for 26, and then came in as nightwatcher with Glamorgan facing one over before the close, scoring four without loss.
Last season’s top run-scorer Wayne Madsen picked up where he left off with 87 from 134 balls, helping Derbyshire reach 300 for eight against Worcestershire.
Billy Godleman made 70 off just 61 balls as Derbyshire raced to 189 for three before Matthew Waite took three for 43 to offer Worcestershire some hope.
