Rain stops play at Leedspublished at 10:42 BST

10:42 BST

Yorkshire 9-0 v Essex

10 minutes and 15 balls into the game, we're off for rain.

Well, we probably need a bit given the scorching heat earlier in the summer.

But even so...

The covers are still on, but it is brightening over a pitch that probably won't look like one for the Glamorgan game here in August .

See earlier piece about the Foxes pitch adjudication on that one.

Well, Wayne Madsen is often Derbyshire's saviour, and often has to come in far earlier than he would like to, but he navigates four balls safely to get through the first over.

Hasan Mahmud with three dots then an edged four by Madsen past the cordon to get the Derbyshire scoring underway.

Yusaf Bin Naeem, wondering what on earth is going on from the non-strikers' end, will now face Grant Stewart.

A first view of the Trent Bridge pitch has BBC Radio Solent's Kevan James describing it as looking like an "artificial pitch".

The surface doesn't just have a green tinge, it's full-on green.

Batting could be a bit tricky. And your cricket brain says 'this is a result pitch'.

Shane Snater shares the new ball with Jamie Porter.

Will Luxton is able to leave the ball safely first up - and he drives the second ball through cover for a single.

In the air for a bit but safe enough.

He trades singles with Lyth - who sees out the over.

Whether you're on the square leg boundary or following along from the office, we want to hear your views on today's action.

Who's going to come out on top in this fascinating title race? Is this the year Somerset finally get their hands on the County Championship trophy? If Durham look certain to return to Division One, who will join them?

Let us know your thoughts on any of those or other questions, and the day's action, by clicking the yellow button on the left of the page and we'll publish the best comments right here throughout the day.

Three slips in under greying clouds here.

They're batting on a used pitch which might be a factor late in the game.

The second ball is full and driven via a thick edge wide of third slip for four.

Jamie Porter is almost straight through Adam Lyth with his fifth ball, who is saved by an inside edge.

Image source, Shutterstock

Max Holden is on captaincy duty for Middlesex in the north east, with no Leus du Plooy in the side.

The regular captain is heading back to South Africa this winter to try to make it in international cricket with the Proteas.

That means he has to sacrifice his homegrown status and would be reclassified as an overseas player.

But Middlesex have missed Sunday's deadline to register him as an overseas for these last three games, so he will no longer be available for selection for the rest of the season.

Adam Whitty
BBC Radio Leicester commentator

It is highly unlikely we will get any play at Grace Road this morning, but nobody around Leicestershire particularly cares about that at the moment.

The club have been charged with breaching pitch regulations in their tight win over Glamorgan last month - a pitch the visitors had plenty to say about.

Should they be found guilty, they would be docked 19 points, a total that would essentially relegate them. The rules were tightened last season after what many thought was inconsistency in the way teams were punished under such circumstances.

Now it's simple, you are docked whatever points you won from that game. It was a victory that boosted their title hopes no end

There are too few games, with too big a points difference, and to be blunt, to difficult an opposition to come for them to recover.

The Foxes say they "strongly dispute the allegations" - Alfonso Thomas, the head coach, and the ground staff here certainly feel they have done nothing wrong. A cricket regulator may disagree, but either way, their place in Division One next year hangs in the balance.

Image source, Getty Images

How crucial will this game be for both teams?

Adam Lyth and Will Luxton are in the middle for the Tykes.

Jamie Porter will bowl to Lyth.

Image source, Getty Images

For the first time since stepping away from England duty, Ben Stokes misses a Durham red-ball match.

The ex-Test captain is replaced by Brydon Carse, while the Championship's leading wicket-taker, Matthew Potts, is also absent with Ben Raine a very handy replacement.

A third change sees David Bedingham unavailable after returning to South Africa with Graham Clark taking his spot.

BBC Local Radio

As usual, we'll have live commentary on all nine games this week, brought to you by our BBC local radio teams.

Just choose your game by clicking the 'Watch and listen' tab at the top of the page and we'll keep you up to date with events at the other eight grounds with regular text updates.

Image source, BBC Sport

The overnight rain may have vanished, but the cricketing gloom in these parts has not lifted.

Lancashire versus Gloucestershire is 17th against 18th, the two undoubted poorest red-ball sides in the country.

The Red Rose have never finished in one of these two positions in their history, so these are bleak times.

And their current form reads six losses from eight with a series of batting collapses.

Gloucestershire are 34 points behind and have lost nine out of 11, but they are the form side given their 213-run win over Derbyshire on Saturday.

What kind of week will these two sides serve up?

The coin lands in favour of Tykes captain Jonny Bairstow, who chooses to bat first.

Yorkshire change one Ben since the last round, bringing in seamer Ben Cliff for Ben Coad.

Essex bring in keeper George Bell for Michael Pepper (thumb injury) and Luc Benkenstein comes in to shore up the batting.

South African spinner Simon Harmer drops out for personal reasons and Charlie Bennet misses out due to his leg injury.

Image source, Shutterstock

It was a week of frustration for Nottinghamshire as some rain and a mighty amount of dogged Leicestershire resistance held up their title defence.

As rivals Somerset and Warwickshire raced to innings wins inside three days, the Foxes batted for a mammoth 155 overs in their first knock to deny Notts the chance to push for victory.

So it leaves them four points adrift of the Cider Boys with three games to go and one point ahead of Warwickshire, but they are back on home soil against bottom side Hampshire and hoping to be more ruthless this time around.

With a gap of 32 points between them and safety, it's almost last chance saloon for Hants, who were the team rolled by the Bears last week.

With only three batting points garnered from 11 games, it's not hard to pinpoint their weakness and they face a big challenge against Notts' usually potent seam attack.

Not only have Leicestershire got former Somerset seamer Alfonso Thomas as head coach, but Josh Davey and Ben Green could have been opening the bowling against their teammates of just 12 months ago when play eventually gets under way at Grace Road.

But Green is injured and Leicestershire have decided they need seam reinforcements to help Alex Green, Josh Hull, Ian Holland and co so have drafted in former Somerset, Kent and now Warwickshire seamer Nathan Gilchrist on loan for two crucial matches for both ends of the table.

The Zimbabwe-born, Somerset Academy product will not play the final fixture when Leicestershire travel to Edgbaston to take on Warwickshire.

Send us your views on the loan system - click that yellow button on the left of the page.

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If you go by recent form, third-placed Warwickshire have a great chance of improving their title prospects with victory at Sophia Gardens this week once the ground dries out.

They have won two of their last three games, including a dominant three-day win over Hampshire last Friday, and opener Rob Yates will be buoyed up by his first century of the campaign in that match.

Glamorgan were in buoyant mood after beating Surrey by seven wickets in June, but that form has deserted them in their last three games, with just 214 their highest score in a completed innings.

They need to rediscover their batting mojo quickly because although fifth in the table, they are only 11 points ahead of Leicestershire in ninth, and so relegation remains a possibility.

"It’s important to retain clear minds and a positive attitude going forward," head coach Richard Dawson said.