County Championship Division Two: Alastair Cook top scores for Essex

Alastair Cook hit a cautious 65 as Essex piled on the runs on the opening day against Northants in their County Championship Division Two clash.

Cook looks to have settled with the new ECB-compliant helmet as he steered the hosts to 105 for the first wicket with Nick Browne four days after making a ton at Sussex.

Full scorecards on day one of County Championship games

Browne was the first to go (60), snared by Ben Sanderson who also bowled out Tom Westley, with the paceman ending the day with two wickets for 70 runs off his 19 overs.

Ravi Bopara (57) and Daniel Lawrence (44) provided stern resistance at the crease as Essex finished day one on 335-3.

William Bragg was in dominant form at the crease as his 129 helped Glamorgan build up a healthy first innings score at Derbyshire.

It was a career best for Bragg who fell late in the day, lbw to Wes Durston, with the visitors on 308-6 when bad light intervened.

Antonio Palladino was the pick of the bowlers, 3-62 off 21, while Aneurin Donald (45) and Christopher Cooke (40) also contributed with the bat.

Hamish Marshall hit an unbeaten century as Gloucestershire recovered from 157-5 to close on 336-5 against their neighbours Worcestershire at Bristol.

The hosts lost opener Cameron Bancroft (15) when he was brilliantly run out by Matt Henry and Ian Cockbain, who was lbw to Ed Barnard for five, and skipper Gareth Roderick, caught by Ross Whiteley off the bowling of Jack Shantry (1-73) for one, quickly followed him back to the pavilion.

Chris Dent stood firm at the other end before becoming Barnard's second victim (2-67) for 59, with debutant George Hankins next to go when he was caught at third slip by Whiteley from a Henry (1-61) delivery for 18.

That brought Kieran Noema-Barnett to the crease alongside fellow New Zealander Marshall and the pair took centre stage for the remainder of the day with an unbroken sixth-wicket partnership of 179 in 42 overs as Worcestershire failed to make the most of their decision to field.

Marshall, 37, had moved on to 123 not out - his 27th first-class century - by stumps, his 196-ball innings including 15 fours, while the more aggressive Noema-Barnett closed on 84 not out after hitting 15 fours and a six in his 132-ball knock.

The star of the show at Grace Road was Kent opener Daniel Bell-Drummond who made 124 of his side's 227-7 against Leicestershire.

Bell-Drummond lost his opener partner Sean Dickson for a duck when he was given out for handling the ball, swiping at it in an attempt to prevent it from rolling onto the stumps off the second delivery he faced from Ben Raine.

Wayne White (2-37) and Charlie Shreck (1-50) then reduced the visitors, who elected to bat, to 48-4 before Bell-Drummond found a couple of willing partners in Alex Blake (26) and Adam Rouse (38) who were both dismissed by Clint McKay (2-55) after stands of 57 and 107 respectively.

Bell-Drummond looked set to carry his bat through the day, though, until he was trapped lbw by Neil Dexter (1-10) shortly before the close after a 190-ball innings which included 20 fours.