Division One leaders Surrey mustered a nervy 70 for four in reply to Lancashire’s 274 during an intriguing opening day of LV= Insurance County Championship action at the Kia Oval.
Rory Burns, Dom Sibley, Tom Latham and Ben Foakes each fell for the reigning champions in the final 20 overs of the day after Lancashire recovered from 119 for five thanks to a lower-order rally which included 56 from Phil Salt.
Four dismissals apiece for Jordan Clark and Sean Abbott looked to have secured first-day honours for Surrey but two wickets from Will Williams and one each for Tom Bailey and Jack Blatherwick turned the contest back towards the visitors.
At Chelmsford, Tom Westley and Dan Lawrence combined for a double-century stand which put Essex firmly in control against second-placed Warwickshire on 391 for seven.
Lawrence, who is on standby for England’s Ashes campaign, registered an immaculate 152 – his second century of the season – during five-and-a-half hours at the crease.
The third-wicket pair put on 227 in 59 overs until Westley dragged Ed Barnard to short midwicket to depart on 114 from 193 balls, while Lawrence was eventually removed by Dom Bess.
Nick Gubbins marked his first appearance against boyhood club Middlesex by grinding them down with an unbeaten 98 as he and centurion Liam Dawson wrestled control for Hampshire at 284 for four.
Gubbins batted for six hours and 262 balls on a dry and flat pitch, while Dawson added 111 not out in four hours.
The pair put on 190 to break a 100-year record for the fifth wicket for Hampshire against Middlesex, beating the 149 scored by Lord Tennyson and Tom Jameson in June 1923.
Brett Hutton claimed a five-wicket haul to help Nottinghamshire trail Somerset by just 18 runs following the opening day at Taunton.
The hosts managed only 163 all out after winning the toss before Ben Slater’s unbeaten 67 helped the visitors to 145 for four.
Kent’s Australia international Wes Agar claimed the second five-wicket haul of his first-class career to restrict bottom club Northamptonshire to a modest 237.
Rob Keogh hit 97 for the hosts, who closed with a lead of 127 runs after Tawanda Muyeye’s unbeaten half-century (58) and 48 not out from Daniel Bell-Drummond helped Kent to 110 for one in 26 overs.
Centuries from Ollie Robinson and Alex Lees put Division Two leaders Durham in a commanding position at 422 for four against third-placed Leicestershire at Grace Road.
Robinson (113 not out) shared an unbroken 221-run fifth-wicket partnership with Graham Clark, who is 15 away from a hundred of his own.
Leicestershire, who are without a head coach after Paul Nixon was placed on gardening leave, were on the back foot following a first-wicket stand of 145 from openers Lees (101) and Michael Jones (78).
Fin Bean and George Hill posted centuries of 114 and 101 respectively to help Yorkshire dominate against Gloucestershire at Headingley.
Opener Bean and Hill shared a stand of 153 for the fourth wicket as the hosts closed on 393 for six from 91 overs.
Anuj Dal took five wickets as bottom-placed Derbyshire put their injury problems in the bowling department behind them to bring about a Worcestershire collapse.
The hosts were dismissed for 237 in 83.3 overs at New Road before Derbyshire lost openers Harry Came and Luis Reece inside 10 overs to close on 32 for two.
Sussex trail Glamorgan by 177 runs with nine wickets remaining of their first innings.
Billy Root’s 66 was the mainstay of Glamorgan’s 242 all out as Sussex all-rounder Nathan McAndrew took four for 58, while off-spinner Jack Carson posted figures of three for 45.
