Whether you're on the boundary at one of the nine grounds 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 exciting title race? Is this the year Somerset finally get their hands on the County Championship trophy? Durham will return to Division One next season but which team 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 a selection of comments on this page throughout the day.

It was in 2024 that Kent lost their place in Division One.

Now they know that victory over Gloucestershire will return them to the top flight for next season.

Bowling bonus points are the first order of business and Matt Milnes starts the ball rolling, with Joe Phillips and Ollie Price the two Glos openers.

We are under way at Trent Bridge.

Yorkshire captain Jonny Bairstow won the toss and has put the holders in as Haseeb Hameed fends the ball off into the on side for a dot ball.

Hameed has lost all seven of his last tosses in the County Championship.

Image source, Shutterstock

Formalities completed, it's time for play to start.

There's plenty to be decided in both divisions of the County Championship - follow it all with us over the next four days.

Image source, Getty Images

Essex head to Cardiff not quite safe from relegation but knowing that they have Division One safety firmly in their own hands.

They are 19 points ahead of Leicestershire at the start of play so unless they have a nightmarish match in which they lose without any bonus points at all then they should remain in the top tier in 2027.

Captain Tom Westley won the toss and Essex will bowl first. Jamie Porter was named in the squad but misses out with a calf injury but they are boosted by the return of Simon Harmer and young fast bowler Jack Auld who impressed on his debut.

This fixture will bring down the curtain on Dean Elgar's illustrious career, but Jordan Cox and Shane Snater are unavailable.

There are also goodbyes being said for Glamorgan as Colin Ingram and Billy Root call time on their professional careers.

Ingram is in the starting line-up today for the hosts who secured their Division One status with last week's win over Surrey.

Adam Whitty
BBC Radio Leicester commentator

Leicestershire's appeal against a 27-point deduction is, really, a no-brainer.

If they don't win, they'll be relegated, but the chances are they will be relegated anyway. It's unlikely they'll get punished more because there's no real point in an independent panel doing that.

However, win the game, and essentially claim they did not "intend" to create a bad pitch, plus prove sufficient mitigating factors, and they might well stay up.

It's added a nice little extra spice to this game at Edgbaston - not that it needs it, with Warwickshire certainly the main story.

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LEADING RUN SCORERS

Joe Clarke (Nottinghamshire) 1280

Ricardo Vasconcelos (Northamptonshire) 1064

David Bedingham (Durham) 1029

James Bracey (Gloucestershire) 1005

Tom Abell (Somerset) 980

Ben McKinney (Durham) 973

Jake Lehmann (Hampshire) 965

Sam Hain (Warwickshire) 906

Image source, Getty Images

LEADING WICKET TAKERS

Kyle Abbott (Hampshire) 62

Ethan Bamber (Warwickshire) 60

Matthew Potts (Durham) 60

Ben Aitchison (Derbyshire) 58

Ryan Higgins (Middlesex) 54

Ben Sanderson (Northamptonshire) 54

George Balderson (Lancashire) 53

Craig Overton (Somerset) 52

BBC Local Radio

Image source, BBC Radio Nottingham Sport

As usual, we have live commentary on all nine games today, 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 all nine grounds with regular text updates.

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Warwickshire are closing in on their ninth County Championship title - and their first since 2021 - because of an excellent run of form in the closing weeks of the season.

They have won four of their five matches since the final block of red-ball matches began in mid-August, two of them by an innings, while the other game in that sequence was a rain-affected draw against Nottinghamshire.

Their bowlers have come to the fore in the past three games, bowling out their opponents for under than 200 in six consecutive innings.

Leicestershire's focus is at the other end of the table - the Foxes require a win at Edgbaston to stand any chance of staying up.

Head coach Alfonso Thomas said news of their 27-point deduction for breaching pitch regulations - a punishment that the club says it will appeal against - had "spurred on" his side to victory against Hampshire last week, and more of the same is needed over the next four days.

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Somerset go into this game knowing they can still win their first ever County Championship title but last week's damaging defeat by Yorkshire has significantly dented their chances.

Their task against Surrey is clear, they have to win the game and then hope that title rivals Warwickshire drop points if they are to claim a maiden title after five runner-up finishes during the 2010s.

Jason Kerr, Somerset head coach, admitted there was disappointment after last week's loss but that his team had “nothing to lose now".

He added: "We know what we’ve got to do. We need a comprehensive victory and hopefully we get a little bit of help up the road."

Somerset make one change to their team with Tom Kohler-Cadmore in for Jake Ball.

For Surrey it has been a rare season of disappointment but they have secured safety after flirting with relegation.

They are without Tom Lawes and Matthew Fisher due to injury, with Reece Topley and Mahipal Lomror in the starting 11.

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Nottinghamshire's defeat by Sussex last week, combined with Warwickshire's win, has seen the County Championship holders drop to third before the final match of the season.

They are 15 points behind the Bears as things stand, and before they can even think about retaining their title, they will have to beat an in-form Yorkshire side.

The White Rose cruised to a 185-run victory against second-placed Somerset as Ben Cliff took 11 wickets in the match.

Olly Stone, Nottinghamshire's top wicket taker this season (45 in 10 matches), is fit to continue, while Mohammad Ali replaces Mukesh Kumar.

Nottinghamshire have not lost a red ball game at Trent Bridge this season though and, if they have a good start to today's proceedings, they will dream that a second consecutive title could still be within their reach.

In August, Sussex lost to Warwickshire by one wicket. Had that result gone the other way, Sussex would be level on points at the top of the table going into the final round of matches - even with the 12-point deduction imposed before the season started because of their financial issues.

Their title chances now over, they could still finish second depending on the outcomes of this week's fixtures.

As for Hampshire, their relegation has already been confirmed and one look at the table tells you where their main problems have been - they have collected only four batting bonus points all season, with Essex's tally of 13 the next-lowest in Division One.

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When England Test opener Emilio Gay last played Championship cricket for Durham, he was out for a duck against Kent.

That was back in May, but he returns for their game against Lancashire at Old Trafford today as they look for a 10th win of a triumphant campaign - and a big score would certainly be a useful reminder of his abilities to new England head coach Stephen Fleming.

Since that draw at Beckenham, Kent have risen to second place in the table, but are only four points ahead of promotion rivals Northants, who have spinner Yuzi Chahal back for their game against Middlesex at Lord's.

The final match sees Derbyshire take on Worcestershire at New Road - but they will be without star all-rounder Ben Aitchison because of injury and pace bowler Brett Randell, who has gone home to New Zealand.

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With one match of the 2026 season remaining, unwanted history beckons for Lancashire.

They are set to register their lowest finish in their 136 years of competing in the County Championship. They are seventh in Division Two and could finish bottom.

Never before have Lancashire ended a season either 17th or 18th position out of all the first-class counties, but after a miserable summer of red-ball cricket, it is now staring them in the face.

So how has it gone so wrong for one of English cricket's traditional powerhouses?

Read more in this piece by BBC Sport's Adam Lanigan.

Bonus points may be critical in the final round of fixtures. A maximum of eight bonus points are on offer for each team based on their performance in the first 110 overs of the first innings.

Batting

• 250 to 299 runs - one point
• 300 to 349 runs - two points
• 350 to 399 runs - three points
• 400 to 449 runs - four points
• 450 runs or more - five points

Bowling

• Three to five wickets taken - one point
• Six to eight wickets taken - two points
• Nine to 10 wickets taken - three points

With permutations all important in the final round of games, it's probably worth a little reminder of the points system works.

A maximum of 24 points are on offer for each team in a County Championship fixture.

The winning team gets 16 points, while the losing team gets zero. A drawn or tied game will result in both teams getting eight points.

Teams can also earn up to eight bonus points based on their batting and bowling performances in the first 110 overs of both sides' first innings.

Division One

Cardiff: Glamorgan v Essex

Essex won toss and put Glamorgan in

Utilita Bowl: Hampshire v Sussex

Sussex won toss and will bat

Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire v Yorkshire

Yorkshire won toss and put Notts in

Taunton: Somerset v Surrey

Surrey won toss and will bat

Edgbaston: Warwickshire v Leicestershire

Leics won toss and will bat

Division Two

Canterbury: Kent v Gloucestershire

Kent won toss and put Glos in

Old Trafford: Lancashire v Durham

Durham won toss and will bat

Lord's: Middlesex v Northamptonshire

Northants won toss and will bat

Worcester: Worcestershire v Derbyshire

Derbyshire won toss and put Worcs in

Warwickshire have the destiny of the title in their hands.

If they take 14 points or more from their final match against Leicestershire at Edgbaston, they will be champions. The most straightforward way to do that is by winning, of course! But a draw along with six or more bonus points would also be enough.

Second-placed Somerset start 11 points behind, with defending champions Nottinghamshire four points further back.

Realistically, they need to win their respective matches and hope results elsewhere go in their favour.