The competition: other 2nd division cc games 2016

Another Wasim Khan innovation certain to dismay the traditionalists and the Treasurers, but a positive attempt to engage with the fans and boost the appeal; free entry for the first day of the championship game against Kent.

All games at least have started despite some extremely chilly winds. A bizarre championship debut for Kent's South African import Sean Dickson, out handled ball - first blood to Leicestershire.

On edit: Interesting. Kent didn't fancy bowling first so elected for the toss, won and it batted. They are now 53-4 with Denly, Dickson, Northeast and Stevens back in the pavilion.

Five things we learnt today.

1. The away's team right to bowl ain't worth much and seems to have put an end to spicy green-tops and replaced them with early-season roads (as hhs predicted).

2. It's a shame hhs didn't tell Ben Brown, who should not have inserted the opposition at Northampton. Northants 'attack' without Willey is piss poor and their bowling was apparently toothless at Chelmsford today. The only way they are going to win any matches is bat first and score 400 plus and hope scoreboard pressure does the rest.

3. Essex will be strong challengers for the one promotion place. Even without Cook their batting is intimidatingly powerful and the return of the canny Masters in place of the hapless Dixon dramatically improves their bowling. Had Masters played at Hove instead of Dixon, Essex would have been chasing a considerably smaller total on day four and quite possibly would have won.

4. Worcs on first sighting do not convince as joint-favourites for promotion. The team that goes up will surely be the side with the strongest bowling attack. Henry, Leach, Shantry and Barnard plus whoever their spinner is when Moeen is out of the equation is most definitely not the best attack in the division.

5. Which brings me to the county I know best. Kent were bettered by a Leics side which potently confirmed its resurgence today under the inspired leadership of Wasim Khan. After opting for the toss and deciding to bat,  the inexperienced captain Northeast and the hop county will be a little shell-shocked  by a poor batting performance that did nothing to support their pre-season boasts that 2016 represents their best chance of promotion since the club imploded half a dozen years ago.

There were mitigating circs - neither of their overseas signings is yet in the country (where the hell is Tom Latham, who was supposed to have been signed for the whole the season?) Rob Key, the county's talisman over the last decade, unexpectedly bailed last week, a decision which has left the batting in the lurch. Their other most experienced player Tredwell is absent due to the death of his father. Stevens turns 40 this week and his declining powers were evidenced by a highest score of eight in the Bangladesh PL followed by two ducks to start the English season. Billings is carrying drinks in the IPL. Shorn of five of their best players and with another reaching the end of a fine career, Kent suddenly look not like promotion contenders but no different from the wooden spoon strugglers of recent years.

The one straw at which Kent will clutch is that this is par for the course - traditionally Kent always starts the season horribly. Nine or ten years ago, I asked the then Kent coach Graham Ford why the county never seemed to get into gear until at least month into the season. He said candidly that Kent's pre-season lacked intensity and he was going to instigate a thorough overhaul of Kent's preparation. I don't know if that  ever happened, but nothing has changed and under first Farbrace and then Jimmy Adams, Kent has continued to splutter out of the blocks season after season. They will get better when the overseas signings finally arrive and Billings returns from yellow bib duty. But will it be enough?

My money right now is on Essex and Sussex slugging it out for the promotion place with perhaps Leics a decent bet for third and fancied runners such as Worcs and Kent trailing in fourth and fifth place.

Rain may well prevent any results in the current round, leaving fancied sides like Kent and Worcs with virtually zilch points after two games apiece, and major contenders Essex frustrated.

Sussex should count themselves lucky to sit out this rain-plagued week.

But whoever would have predicted a year ago that Sussex, having finished third in Div One in 2014, would be underdogs going into a crucuial 2016 top-of-div-two clash with perennial wooden-spoonists Leics???

And just to prove the point, Masters gets Duckett for a duck, after he plundered the Sussex attack for  284 not out!

Northants now 6-4...

Mad Dogs and Englishmen - the weather dominates 'The Oval'. What the BBC do so well.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/video_and_audio/headlines/36144734
www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/36141843