County Championship is back: The return of red-ball cricket

Kent sit bottom on 66 points, 25 behind Worcestershire, who they meet head on at Worcester in a basement battle.

But, while defeat for Kent would really leave them in peril, the Pears, on 91 points, are within touching distance of neighbours Warwickshire, the draw specialists on 96, Lancs (101), as well as Nottinghamshire and Durham, who are locked together on 102 points, prior to meeting at Chester-le-Street.

As to who might fill the two places to come up from Division Two next season, Yorkshire will be much boosted by having England discard Jonny Bairstow back from Hundred duty for this week’s meeting with leaders Sussex at Scarborough, which will put him up against Ollie Robinson, one of his international team-mates.

That is a meeting of third versus first as Yorkshire (123) take on a Sussex side 27 points ahead of them.

Second-placed Middlesex are still away from Lord’s, on the school ground at Merchant Taylors’ as they play host to seventh-placed Northamptonshire, one of the teams at the wrong end of the table, yet still only 30 points off the second of the two promotion places.

Bottom club Derbyshire, who trail Northants by 19 points, are at home to the other One-Day Cup finalists Glamorgan.

Fourth-placed Leicestershire take on a Gloucestershire side in sixth, but just 12 points behind them – another meeting of potential promotion contenders.

Follow all the action as the BBC’s County Championship live text resumes at 10:30 BST on Thursday.