County cricket day one: Surrey v Somerset, Notts v Sussex, and more – live

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Gloucestershire are having a sub-prime morning– oh thats a peachy drive for four by Archie Vaughan off Jordan Clark, and there’s another four, squarer, next ball – at Bristol. Van Beek and Holland – who caused so much chaos at Old Trafford on Sunday evening – have cut through the Glos top order too: Bancroft, Charlesworth and Ollie Price all gone. Glos: 21 for three v Leicestershire.

Big, bad Fergus O’Neill is pounding in at Trent Bridge, but once again it is Brett Hutton who slides into the wickets column. Haines for a duck, Clark for 8. Sussex a dismal 16-2. Notts, promoted to Division One at the end of 2022, finished 6th in 2023, 8th in 2024 – feels like this could be a happier summer.

A wicket here at New Road. Gareth Roderick had just survived a drop at slip, pushing forward, only to then slash an edge behind two balls later and throw his head back in disgust. Jake Ball, on loan for Somerset and a little wayward initially, gets his first wicket as a Durham bowler and the hosts are seven for one in the eighth over. We weren’t sure how this pitch would play after five floods and 39 days spent underwater during the winter. Not sure it was at fault for that dismissal however.

Early drama here at The Oval, where Sean Dickson has retired hurt after being rapped on the hand by Gus Atkinson. Lammonby joins Vaughan.

I know I sound like such a fan girl but doing a lap of The Oval is a heart-warming experience. People stream through the gate, the sun is shining, the coffee is good and as the ground announcer said the names of the openers, I saw one young man walking to the gate quicken his step and tell his friend “Yes! Archie Vaughan is playing.”

Good morning from New Road, where the sun is (in and) out for Worcestershire’s first home fixture of the season against Durham. Things are tinged with a touch of sadness here after the recent passing of club journalist and former Press Association writer John Curtis.

JC was among the very best people on the circuit: knowledgeable, generous and just so incredibly welcoming to anyone who walked into the press box. One of the members has just passed me some flowers to pop in JC’s usual spot, where he would spend a day’s play cracking jokes and swapping stories. As the BBC’s Martin Emmerson quipped just now, the minute’s silence planned before the start of play could scarcely be less appropriate (or more deserved). For further reading, there is a lovely tribute on the Worcestershire website here too. Cheers, JC.

I’m sitting next to the Wisden editor, who allowed me to touch (once) Jamie Smith’s embossed Cricketer of The Year 2025 edition before it was handed over. Lovely end papers.

Any questions for Lawrence? Just email me at [email protected], or ask BTL.

Josh Hull interview

Ali talks to Leicestershire’s big beast:

How well do Somerset travel? Let’s just say that they haven’t won at The Oval since 1995 and haven’t won an away game in two years.

Limping Durham have been desperately leafing through the address book. In come three pace bowlers: South African Codi Yusuf ( signing for six games) plus Jake Ball (Somerset) and Jack Blatherwick (Lancs)on loan for the next two games.

Fixtures

DIVISION ONE

Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire v Sussex

The Oval: Surrey v Somerset

New Road: Worcestershire v Durham

DIVISION TWO

Derby: Derbyshire v Middlesex

Bristol: Gloucestershire v Leicestershire

Preamble

Good morning! An early train down to London (off peak all day on a Friday) and The Oval is beaming. Footballs are being kicked about in warm-up and there’s a lazy-days net to the side, next to the banks of blackbird-egg seats.

It’s a truncated progamme of games today – just two in Division One and three in Division Two. We’ll be here all day – play starts at 11am.