Image source, Getty Images

And with that, a dark and rainy day has reached its end.

The forecast for tomorrow is still a little uncertain across the country, though there is at least some hope that play may get started at Headingley, Old Trafford, Edgbaston and Canterbury.

Thank you so much for joining us for the first day of the new County Championship season.

We will be back from around 10:30 tomorrow morning providing the skies are clear. Until then, goodbye.

Chris Egerton
BBC Hereford & Worcester

Worcestershire would like to have conceded fewer than 290, bowling first under heavy cloud cover, but they will be relatively pleased with their reintroduction to Division One cricket.

When they pitched the ball up, Steve Magoffin and especially Joe Leach caused all the Hampshire batsmen problems especially when the floodlights first came on early in the afternoon.

But despite the loss of Tom Fell late on, Worcestershire may well enjoy better batting conditions and this game feels evenly poised after the opening day.

Division One

Hampshire 290 v Worcestershire 40-2

Lancashire v Nottinghamshire - no play on Friday

Yorkshire v Essex - no play on Friday

Division Two

Middlesex 136-4 v Northamptonshire

Kent v Gloucestershire - no play on Friday

Warwickshire v Sussex - no play on Friday

That's your lot as Josh Tongue does indeed survive the final over, collecting a boundary off Kyle Abbott for good measure as Worcestershire reach stumps 250 runs in arrears, with eight wickets remaining.

One over to go at the Ageas Bowl and it's nightwatchman Josh Tongue to face the music from Kyle Abbott. Can he hang on for Worcestershire?

Image source, Rex Features

It was a little streaky but Tom Fell has his first boundary from a thick edge off a ball by Gareth Berg. Emboldened by seeing it run away past the slip cordon, he adds two more from the first two deliveries of Brad Wheal's next over, a perfect off-drive followed by an authoritative pull shot, moving on to 15 not out and overtaking partner Daryl Mitchell.

Isabelle Westbury
BBC Sport at Lord's

After a morning session in which proceedings were marginally tipped in Northants’ favour, the afternoon swung back to the hosts.

Resuming on 64-4, John Simpson was dropped on three before combining with Paul Stirling to put on 68 together before bad light forced an early tea with Middlesex on 132-4.

No play was possible for almost three hours before the umpires’ megatron declared that play could be resumed once more.

Only 3.5 overs were possible however and Middlesex will be relieved to go into the second day only four down and with 136 runs on the board. Advantage to the home side.

Fidel Edwards is taken off after a four-over burst with the new ball which brought him the wicket of Brett D'Oliveira at a cost of only two runs.

Brad Wheal is his replacement and starts with a maiden to Tom Fell. Eight left for Worcestershire to face.

Sanity prevails at Lord's, as the umpires decide the light is not going to get any better and play is abandoned.

Middlesex won't be too unhappy with the scorecard after being made to bat, though Northamptonshire will know a couple of early wickets tomorrow would put them firmly in command.

To those of you who saw that I - Josh, not Paul - had originally written Nottinghamshire instead of Northamptonshire here, I am very sorry. It has been a long, long day.

Daryl Mitchell runs a ball from Kyle Abbott down to third man for the first boundary of Worcestershire's innings. There are potentially 10 still to be bowled and the visitors's first priority is to avoid any further damage after the earlier dismissal of Brett D'Oliveira by Fidel Edwards.

In a surprise to absolutely nobody, bad light forces the teams off again at Lord's.

That could well be it for the day.

Different session, same approach.

Middlesex - put in to bat earlier - are prioritising keeping wickets in hand over putting runs on the board.

Just three runs have been added in three overs since the restart, as Doug Bracewell and Richard Gleeson keep it tight for Northants.

Good stuff so far from Kyle Abbott and Fidel Edwards, who are determined to keep Worcestershire's batsmen in check. The latter has begun with two maidens - one of them a wicket maiden - and it looks like Hampshire may be finishing the stronger after a see-saw day.

If - and it's a big if - the conditions hold up, there will be 21 overs to be bowled tonight at Lord's.

Paul Stirling will resume on 36, with John Simpson alongside him on 31.

Good news for Middlesex and Northamptonshire fans.

The light has improved, with play set to restart at 17:40.

There were a minimum of 51 overs to bowled when the teams left the field, though clearly they won't get through all of those tonight.

That's what BBC Northampton commentator Alex Winter's thinking anyway...

BBC Radio London's Kevin Hand is pessimistic...