karlpejera: County cricket ? as it happened | Vic Marks, Andy Wilson and Richard Gibson

Our team of writer round up all the action from around the grounds, both above and below the line

Morning all

10.10am: Welcome to the county cricket live blog for the latest round of Championship action. Our writers will be here with all the day's play shortly. Andy Wilson is back for day two at Old Trafford for Lancashire v Nottinghamshire, Richard Gibson is in Birmingham for the second day of Warwickshire v Durham, and Vic Marks will be at Lord's for the opening day of Middlesex v Worcestershire.

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11.01am: After the false alarm caused by James Anderson's thumb injury yesterday, discipline is the main theme this morning, writes Andy Wilson. The first day of the Championship match between Lancashire and Nottinghamshire saw three of the England players involved in this fixture ? Anderson, Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann ? expressing visible displeasure about umpiring decisions. All three would seem to have escaped any further action. But Swann continued his chuntering into the night, tweeting as he cheered Newcastle's victory over Chelsea: "I would happily be given out bat before wicket every day if it meant Ciss� scored two goals like that."

Is that acceptable? It seems a bit churlish and heavyhanded even mentioning it, but had it happened in football, it would be a much bigger deal. The whole issue over player behaviour, and specifically in this case of the conduct of England players when they return to county cricket, has provoked much discussion.

Anyway it's another pleasant sunny morning, if a little fresh, and Lancashire will resume on 48 for one in reply to Nottinghamshire's 169, having lost Paul Horton in the last over of the first day. That means Broad will be bowling again, having shown no reaction to his recent calf problems in a few overs with the new ball last night. But there must be a doubt over whether Anderson will bat for Lancashire to avoid any further blows to his thumb ? he was conspicuous by his absence during their fielding practice this morning ? and Tom Smith will probably need a runner after pulling up with a hamstring problem when bowling yesterday.

11.30am: The scoreboard at Edgbaston has displayed a rather hopeful message for the past hour, writes Richard Gibson. It simply reads: "There will be an inspection at 11.15am - Provided no further rain."

It remained up while messrs Bainton and Kettleborough waded past one of two super-soppers to get within 20 yards of the square. However, while groundstaff have begun the process of uncovering it, it appears unlikely that we will have any play before 12.30pm.

But I can tell you about a potential return for Warwickshire's England cap Chris Woakes. Ashley Giles, the county's director of cricket, has ruled out a second-team outing against Middlesex next week but he could get a run out in the 40-over game at Edgbaston, against Derbyshire in 10 days' time. Warwickshire's first one-day game of the season is at home to Northamptonshire on Sunday but that appears to be over-optimistic.

"He's making great strides and he will come back in next week and bowl some more. We have a couple of one-day games next week which he could
play in, although one-day cricket is a slight risk because of how busy it is," said Giles.

11.31am: Greetings from a dank Lord's where there was talk of a 11.45 start but don't bank on it, writes Vic Marks.

Just been catching up on the fact that Chris Gayle will not be joining Somerset for the Twenty20. This will be a disappointment to many down in Taunton relishing the idea of a Trescothick and Gayle opening partnership (not much running necessary). In fact there is no guarantee that Trescothick will play all the Twenty20 either as he recuperates from his ankle op.

We assume that we will see Gayle instead in the ODIs, so some consolation for the non-parochials. But it is galling that Somerset have their No Objection certificate from the West Indies; they have their contract with Gayle and have been left in the lurch ? except that they are making an announcement this afternoon about a Gayle replacement. Lips sealed until then but I imagine he may be a bit cheaper. Still no toss here.

12.04pm: An early lunch has been taken and play is scheduled to begin at 1.10pm at Edgbaston, with the second day's over-allotment reduced by 16 to 80, writes Richard Gibson.

12.32pm: Graeme Swann has succeeded where Stuart Broad has failed, taking the important wicket of Ashwell Prince with his third ball of the day, writes Andy Wilson at Old Trafford. Prince had moved sensibly and skilfully to 23, taking consecutive boundaries in Broad's last over to leave the England seamer with ugly figures of 12-1-54-0. But Swann, who bowled a couple of overs yesterday from the Statham End, winkled out the South African with an innocuous looking delivery which Prince tried to work to leg, James Taylor taking a sharp catch at short leg. That left Lancashire on 109 for four, 60 behind, Andre Adams having taken the first three wickets.

1.41pm: All very frustrating here, writes Vic Marks at Lord's. Not much rain but no play. The umpires, arms folded in a resigned sort of way, are out in the middle. Today is Derek Brewer's first day in charge as Chief Executive of the MCC. Down below the media centre I've been watching some of his staff meticulously washing the tip-up seats, one by one. There's no one here to sit on them, but they will be gleaming in time for the Test match in a fortnight's time.

Brewer has more on his plate than that Test match. He is being charged with masterminding the development at Lord's, an issue, which has enraged a few members recently. He has overseen superb developments at Trent Bridge, which may explain why he was appointed here. MCC president, Philip Hodson, a no-nonsense Yorkie (though probably not as no-nonsense as Colin Graves, who will soon be bidding farewell to Ajmal Shahzad) has given him his brief.

"MCC needs to look to the future", says Hodson. "I want Derek Brewer and Colin Maber, who worked so well together developing Trent Bridge, to produce a development plan dove-tailing with the Club's strategic plan. On Shahzad, I imagine there are seventeen counties interested in signing him. I guess he will go to a first division team so we will have to wait a while before he makes an intriguing return to Headingley to play against Yorkshire in the Championship.

There is a staff member, who has been lapping the ground on a buggy with a brush on the back for the last half-hour, ostensibly drying the outfield. Don't ask me why. I suppose it's more fun than manually washing bucket seats.

The umpires have disappeared.

2.39pm: Nottinghamshire have struck back in spectacular fashion on the second day at Old Trafford, thanks mostly to Andre Adams with a bit of help from Graeme Swann, writes Andy Wilson. They polished off the nine remaining Lancashire wickets for less than 100 to secure an unlikely first innings lead of 23. Adams took seven of the first eight, the majority of the Lancashire batsmen unable to handle his masterly exploitation of helpful, but not unplayable, conditions. But the most memorable individual incident of the day came when Swann, who had already claimed the key wicket of Ashwell Prince in his first over, bowled his England chum James Anderson for a golden duck. Swann celebrated wildly, but with his team-mates rather than in the direction of Anderson, who trudged off. He'll be bowling in a minute, assuming his bruised thumb is up to the job.

2.59pm: Ian Bell has his first hundred of the season, and the 39th of his first-class career, writes Richard Gibson.

Edgbaston is an Armageddon shade of grey, and the players have been driven off by rain as I type, but the boyish-looking Bell (he's 30 now, you know) will not care a jot given the year he has endured thus far. He managed a tally of only 134 in England's five Tests against Pakistan and Sri Lanka and added only a further 34 runs in his first County Championship innings.

However, his fourth has seen him take advantage of two reprieves yesterday evening. Increased confidence was evident when he lofted Ian Blackwell for a towering straight six during the 22 overs possible this afternoon. A cut for four off Blackwell got him to three figures in just under four and a half hours at the crease.

Championship leaders Warwickshire lost two wickets in the 22 overs possible between an early lunch and the rain: Tim Ambrose unluckily caught at slip after a cut ricocheted off the thigh of Ben Stokes, at silly point, and Rikki Clarke leg before to one that rushed on, but Blackwell could not make good the hat-trick opportunity. They are currently on 195-7 in reply to Durham's 163.

3.22pm: Somerset could take legal action against Chris Gayle for a contract breach. You can read the full story here.

4.06pm: Jimmy Anderson was forced off the field for the second consecutive day when bowling in Lancashire's championship match against Nottinghamshire, but because of illness rather any further problems with his bruised thumb. Andy Wilson has the full story here.

4.52pm: Play has been abandoned for the day at Lord's.

5.23pm: From my vantage point up in the heavens at Edgbaston, I have just witnessed some fairly elaborate sign language from Warwickshire captain Jim Troughton to convey to his team-mates on the balcony that play has been called off for the day, writes Richard Gibson. Only 22 overs were possible after play belatedly began at 1.10pm, although the chance of a positive result remains high with the County Championship leaders just 32 runs in credit with three first-innings wickets remaining heading into the third morning.

Andy Wilson

Vic Marks

Richard Gibson