And here’s Ali Martin’s report from Edgbaston:
Here’s Mike Selvey’s report from The Kia Oval:
We have had an hour of play after lunch here at Edgbaston, where just the one wicket has fallen in the session. A big one, mind you, with the impressive Chris Woakes bowling Jonny Bairstow with an inswinger, via the inside edge, for 20 shortly after the resumption. Warwickshire have continued to press hard but so far Gary Ballance and Jack Leaning have resisted. Ballance has looked scratchy and yet he so often does. And confidence appears to be growing with him, evidenced through a couple of fours blasted off Rikki Clarke as I type this. Ballance has moved onto 33 as I type, with Jack Leaning unbeaten on 13. The right-hander’s best shot was a glorious punched drive straight past Woakes. Some spots of rain about but the umpires are holding firm. Yorkshire 122 for four after 42 overs.
Rain brings lunch at Edgbaston, seven minutes early, and it’s something of a familiar story for champions Yorkshire, who find themselves three wickets down for 82 after winning the toss and once more hoping Jonny Bairstow’s golden streak can continue. He and Gary Ballance will resume this afternoon on 17 and 13 respectively, following a session-changing 30 minute spell just after the hour mark in which three wickets fell for 10 runs in 6.4 overs. Rikki Clarke, whose figures of 8-4-8-1 owed much to him being easily left in the main, got the ball rolling when bowling Alex Lees for 19 with an inswinger that saw both off and middle stump uprooted. Adam Lyth then duffed a pull shot off Boyd Rankin, also on 19, before the first ball of Keith Barker’s second spell from the Pavilion End, a low full toss, was dragged on by Andrew Gale for four. Bairstow has looked supreme but then he’s batting on a different level at present. Ballance a bit more circumspect.
Transport tales of woe. Today, it was my intention to go to Ampthill to catch up with Monty and watch him take the first steps back to what I’m sure we all hope is full playing fitness and form by turning out for Bedfordshire against Suffolk. Then, while acting as taxi last night, my car suddenly decided to empty the sump completely of oil. So no car this morning. It is around 53 miles from my house to the Oval, whence I was heading as an alternative, and such was the journey that Eliud Kipchoge could have run half way in the time it took via train and tube. The latter held up because of a stray dog on the line at Balham, which makes it sound like a Reginald Perrin ‘five minutes late, defective bogey at Beckenham’ type excuse. The walk from Kennington was bracing.
So I arrived just in time to hear the announcement of Kumar Sangakkara’s arrival at the crease. There had been a toss, won by Surrey, who decided to bat, and eight overs in, Arun Harinath was lbw to Craig Overton for 9. There have been no more wickets since, with Sanga looking in immaculate form, lunching out his back foot drives in particular, and clips off his legs. At present he has 34 with Rory Burns on 21 as Surrey reach 74-1 fin the 21st over.
Mixed bag from Warwickshire’s bowlers so far this morning but we have just seen the breakthrough, with Rikki Clarke, having swapped ends, bowling Alex Lees neck and crop for 19 that sees Yorkshire 46 for one in the 16th over. Stumps everywhere. Keith Barker promised much early on, with his second over testing both Yorkshire openers and seeing Lees off the mark down to third man to a ball that dropped just short of slip. Chris Woakes, from the City End, sent down seven overs of easily-left outswingers, easily-negotiated back of a length stuff - but with the odd ripper in there too. Clarke, who replaced Barker at the Pavilion End, struggled with his radar early on and now Boyd Rankin is off to similarly a flaky start after replacing him. Conditions are overcast now, chilly but with a hint of swing and it felt like the Bears were slightly wasting them until Clarke’s intervention, after replacing Woakes. As a side note, 12 Test cricketers on show in this match, with six per side. One of them, Adam Lyth, is unbeaten on 18.
Morning all and welcome to the Guardian’s coverage of the County Championship, cricket’s answer to the marathon (without the energy gels, tin foil blankets and chafing).
You find me at Edgbaston for Warwickshire v Yorkshire this week, a rather big game if the pre-season predictions are correct. Both teams are hunting their first win, with Ian Bell’s Bears at home for the first time his summer after two draws on the road, and the champions having sat out the first round and then drawn at home to Headingley. Just witnessed my first toss of the season, with Yorkshire’s Andrew Gale winning and electing to bat. The sun is out in chilly Birmingham.
Elsewhere m’colleague Mike Selvey is heading to the Oval to watch Surrey take on Somerset. The visitors welcome back both the Overtwins - suspension for Craig, calf injury for Jamie - while Zafar Ansari makes his return from the thumb injury that scuppered his hopes of turning out for England over the winter.
At the Riverside, Ben Stokes returns for Durham - had a chat with captain, Paul Collingwood, about the all-rounder’s comeback and other matters here - with Middlesex the visitors following a run-soaked draw at Lord’s, in which Sam Robson plundered a club record.
In Division Two, Essex host Northamptonshire - can Alastair Cook make it three centuries in a row? - Glamorgan travel to Derbyshire, Gloucestershire welcome Worcestershire and Kent, without the now retired Rob Key, are at Leicestershire.
Have a great day everyone.
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