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Greetings from Edgbaston and season’s tidings. Grey overhead but we’ve started on time, with Ed Barnard winning his first toss as Warwickshire captain, looking at his phallanx of seamers, and deciding to have a bowl. Sets the day up nicely, Chris Woakes to take the new ball against a Test-capped Surrey top six: Dom Sibley, Rory Burns, Jamie Smith (hello...), Ollie Pope, Dan Lawrence and Ben Foakes. In other news, the ground this summer looks like a ring doughnut after the first bite: a big chunk missing and a crane towering where it was, as work continues on the new hotel.

..the ball was dabbed away by Hughes and we’re off. Round the grounds, no wickets have yet fallen.

Updated

A smattering/ripple/slurp of applause as the players take the field. Tom Haines and Daniel Hughes in the middle. A windswept Ian Holland with the ball, the umpire in gloves. Here we go…

Ali Martin spoke to Shoaib Bashir. I really hope he finds the pastures welcoming at Derby – must have been a topsy-turvy few years.

and pre-season bits and bobs:

Updated

Starts delayed

At Sophia Gardens and Southampton.

Elsewhere, everyone who has won the toss is having a bowl – apart from Lancashire

Leicestershire won the toss and will field.

Notts won the toss and will field.

Warwicks won the toss and will field

Worcs won the toss and will field

Kent won the toss and will field

Gloucs won the toss and will field

Lancs won the toss and will bat

Made it to Grace Road. It isn’t raining and they’re expecting around 700 through the turnstiles. One of the groundstaff is hurriedly running around with the mower on the far side, while the players warm up. Bobble hats all round.

Leicestershire have won the toss and will field. They are without the injured Ben Mike, Josh Davey and Alex Green and Josh Hull, who made the squad but isn’t yet fit enough to play.

Weather watch

The calm before Storm Dave. The Met office says:

Cloudy and breezy with rain and drizzle slowly clearing, but lingering in the south. Some brighter spells developing in the north with sunshine and scattered showers, some heavy and wintry over higher ground. Feeling warm in the south.

An early one for the hive mind – sitting with David and Val on the train who were once given a premium bond for their daughter by a tall Nottinghamshire and England fast bowler in the late 60s. Might be called Alan. Any ideas?

"He's made a bit of an error in hindsight"

Worcestershire’s South African signing Beyers Swanepoel, whose desperation to get to New Road was such that he left for the airport with seven overs of a domestic one-day final to go (his team lost off the penultimate ball, fielding only ten men), has now caused problems for his new team as well.

Cricket South Africa have withheld his No-objection certificate, and he has been charged him with bringing the game into disprepute and breaching his contract. Worcestershire have signed Warwickshire’s Olly Hannon-Dalby on a two-week loan to fill the hole. “Beyers would probably say he’s made a bit of an error in hindsight,” said Worcs chief exec Ashley Giles.

Surrey to win it...Lancs and Durham to be promoted

Or is there another way?

Fixtures - round one

DIVISION ONE

Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan v Yorkshire

Southampton: Hampshire v Essex

Grace Road: Leicestershire v Sussex

Taunton: Somerset v Nottinghamshire

Edgbaston: Warwickshire v Surrey

DIVISION TWO

The County Ground: Derbyshire v Worcestershire

Chester le Street: Durham v Kent

Lord’s: Middlesex v Gloucestershire

Wantage Road: Northamptonshire v Lancashire

Preamble

Good morning! The sky is slate, the grass is lush, there’s a spot of rain on my cheek – welcome back!

And hello to readers new and old, it’s lovely to have you with us.

Fifteen Championship rounds lie ahead (16, if you count Surrey’s one off game against Hampshire). And the first seven before England start their Test summer in June - though there are a scattering of interspersed white-ball matches against New Zealand. So many runs to score, wickets to take, careers to make. Hearts to break. England say the door is open, who will push hardest?

I’m at Grace Road (at least I will be soon, only I forgot to change trains at Nuneaton) to watch injury-plagued Leicestershire and points-deducted Sussex, while big chief Ali Martin is at Edgbaston to keep an eye on his tip for the top, Warwicks, and fancied Surrey. And we’ll be here every day until the end of the season, on Sunday September 27. The kettle’s on, grab a mug. It’s going to be fun.