Devon Malcolm - 1000 first class wickets Photo CricInfo

Devon Malcolm took his 1,000th first class wicket on the opening day of Leicestershire's Frizzell County Championship match against Yorkshire at Grace Road. Vic Craven edged a ball on to his stumps to make the former England star only the fifth bowler currently playing anywhere in the world to have joined the elite club. Another half century from Craig White ensured a good start for Yorkshire, after they asked Leicestershire to field. White made 62 and Darren Lehmann 51 as Yorkshire reached 296 for eight at the close. Devon Malcolm took four for 71 and Vince Wells had the remarkable figures of two for seven off seven overs.

Surrey look set for a respectable total after a day of ebb and flow at Old Trafford. After winning the toss this morning, Ian Ward (61) and Mark Ramprakash (71) took the Division One leaders to the heady heights of 143 for one. But the run-out of Ramprakash was followed by two wickets for Gary Keedy as the visitors slipped to 202 for five at tea. However wicket-keeper Jonathan Batty (55*) and Rikki Clarke (41) restored the innings to 292 for seven by stumps.

Michael Powell played a captain's knock for Warwickshire after winning the toss at The Rose Bowl, and after lacking early support he found the partner he needed in Jamie Troughton. The two helped the visitors recover from 50 for three to 164 for four, when Troughton (68) became Alan Mullally's second victim. Powell was eventually out for 92 as Warwickshire closed on 241 for seven.

Kent skipper David Fulton's decision to put Sussex in at Tunbridge Wells was the right one. Sussex were bowled out by tea for just 180, with Martin Saggers taking six for 39. There were also two wickets for Mark Ealham, and Richard Montgomerie (35) was the visitors' top scorer. Andrew Symonds made an unbeaten half century as Kent replied with 156 for three by the close, just 24 runs behind.

With the weather improving matches in the second division were largely dominated by batsmen, with three Australians putting in star performances. Chief among them was Durham's Martin Love who put the Middlesex bowlers to the sword at Lord's, scoring an unbeaten 221 out of a total of 456 for two. Love shared in a huge second-wicket partnership of 251 with Gordon Muchall, who refused to be overshadowed in scoring a forceful 127. The day had begun less auspiciously for Durham when their opener Michael Gough was hit on the head when on six by a short-pitched delivery from Pakistani pace bowler Abdur Razzaq. He had to be taken to hospital for precautionary tests. Middlesex's opening bowler Chad Keegan proved particularly expensive - his 11 overs went for 71 runs and no wicket.

Another Australian, the Tasmanian Michael di Venuto, dominated Derbyshire's score of 354 against Glamorgan at Derby with his 98 off only 107 balls. He shared a second-wicket partnership of 158 with the Zimbabwe-born Andy Gait, who contributed only 37 to the stand. Michael Kasprowicz and the England fast-bowling hope Simon Jones took three wickets apiece. However, by the time Graeme Welch had blasted 63 not out to boost the flagging Derbyshire total, and Dominic Cork had dismissed both Steve James and Ian Thomas cheaply to leave Glamorgan at 22 for two, Derbyshire were well on top.

It was a similar story of Australian brilliance at Northampton, where the Western Australian Mike Hussey scored 140 as Northants piled on the agony for Essex, reaching 451 for five by the close. Hussey shared in an opening stand of 185 with the 6ft 5in Adrian Rollins, who fell just after lunch for 89 having outscored the Australian. There was to be no respite for Essex after Hussey was bowled by the leg-spin of Zoheb Sharif, as Russell Warren (87) and Jeffrey Cook (90) continued to score quickly and shared the day's second significant stand of 142 for the fourth wicket.

Worcestershire will be slightly disappointed with their score of 287 all out having been 210 for three at tea against Gloucestershire at Bristol. The foundations of a bigger score were laid by left-handed opener Philip Weston, who took nearly five hours to make his 82, and Graeme Hick, who made 79. But the veteran left-arm swing bowler Mike Smith, with four for 61, and medium-pacer Ben Gannon, with three for 50, brought Gloucestershire back into the game and only Vikram Solanki of the middle and lower order players made a significant contribution with 41.

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