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.

He was actually named in the side for this match, but he has been removed at short notice with Nathan Fernandes parachuted into his place.

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.

Adam Lanigan
BBC Sport reporter at Emirates Old Trafford

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.

Image source, Shutterstock

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.

Both Yorkshire and Essex need a win to shore up their position in the table.

The hosts begin in eighth place, just seven points above the relegation spots after that heart-wrenching loss by just one wicket at the Oval in their last game despite the best efforts of all-rounder George Hill.

He took a second-innings 4-52 and beat the bat of Surrey’s Josh Blake (43 not out) five times in a single over when the opposition were nine down.

Essex succumbed at home to Sussex by 47 runs last weekend, when Matt Critchley scored a valiant 96 chasing 329 before being last out.

The team were also beset during the match by the loss of two bowlers.

Charlie Bennett limped out of the game due to a leg injury, replaced by Jamie Porter. Sam Cook was withdrawn from the team for England duty, replaced by Mitch Killeen.

Neither Cook nor Bennett are involved this week but loanee George Bell is in the XI and will keep wicket.

Image source, Getty Images

David Bedingham is the leading run-scorer in Division Two with 1,029, but Durham are going to have to manage without him as they look to pick up the 17 points they need against Middlesex to be sure of promotion.

Mayank Agarwal is a handy replacement, but the visitors still believe they can pip Kent and Northants for second place, but they will have to manage without skipper Leus du Plooy (more on that in a bit) as Max Holden leads the side.

Kent are unbeaten, and have won two out of three, since the Championship resumed last month and will be looking to strengthen their position against a Derbyshire side, who lost to bottom-of-the-table Gloucestershire on Saturday.

For Northamptonshire, who are away to Worcestershire, the first task will be to erase the memory of being skittled for 50 by Durham - but they also need a win with Kent 15 now points ahead of them in second place.

Head coach Darren Lehmann has said of Durham: "I'm surprised they're in this division. They'll be straight up, and they'll contend for the Division One title next year,”

As expected, the weather forecast here is... as forecast.

No play is expected before lunch.

Division One

Cardiff: Glamorgan v Warwickshire

Start delayed

Leicester: Leicestershire v Somerset

Start delayed

Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire v Hampshire

Hampshire won toss and put Notts in

Hove: Sussex v Surrey

Start delayed

Headingley: Yorkshire v Essex

Yorkshire won toss and will bat

Division Two

Derby: Derbyshire v Kent

Kent won toss and put Derbyshire in

Riverside: Durham v Middlesex

Middlesex won the toss and put Durham in

Old Trafford: Lancashire v Gloucestershire

Gloucestershire won toss and will bat

Worcester: Worcestershire v Northamptonshire

Start delayed

Today's BBC Weather site summary reads: "Today, rain in the far south will be slow to clear, but it should turn dry with sunny spells during the afternoon. Elsewhere, a windy day with variable cloud and blustery showers......"

Let's hope there won't be too many hold-ups/interruptions.

Just three weeks remain in the men's County Championship season.

Will this be the year when Somerset finally get their hands on the coveted trophy for the first time?

Will this be the week when, after just one year away, Durham reclaim their place in Division One for 2027?

Questions, questions...and we'll be here every step of the way to provide the answers.

Welcome to our coverage of day one in the latest round of matches. Play gets under way at 10:30.