Sam Robson and Nick Gubbins shared an opening stand of 241 as defending champions Middlesex feasted on the Essex attack on day one of their Specsavers County Championship clash.
Opener Robson, who made the last of his seven Test appearances in August 2014, finished unbeaten on 144 and Gubbins eventually fell for 101.
Aaron Beard was the bowler, in the 64th over, who earned a solitary success for the visitors as they watched the scorecard roll around to a dispiriting 255 for one before bad light spared any further toil at Lord's.
New England captain Joe Root and Test team-mate Jonny Bairstow returned to the Yorkshire side for their trip to the Ageas Bowl, but had to settle for watching international colleague James Vince have all the fun.
The Hampshire skipper was 143 not out from 233 balls to lead his side to 281 for four. Ben Coad, Yorkshire's in-form seam prospect, added three more wickets to take his early season tally to 21 but Root was restricted to four overs of off-spin while Bairstow pouched two catches with the gloves.
A total of 18 wickets fell on day one at Old Trafford, with Somerset wiping out Lancashire for 109 then struggling to do much better themselves.
Red Rose captain Liam Livingstone, firmly on the selection radar after a revelatory winter with the Lions, played a lone hand of defiance with a gutsy 68 as Craig Overton's five for 47 led the Somerset charge.
Ball continued to dominate after the change over, the visitors losing eight for 153, as South African pair Dean Elgar (66no) and Ryan McLaren (four for 46) shone brightest.
Warwickshire's struggling batting order belatedly found some form in the shape of Ian Westwood's 153 against Surrey.
Westwood batted for almost six hours at Edgbaston as the Bears made 292 for six. Tom Curran claimed three for 90 and there were two more wickets for revitalised left-armer Mark Footitt.
In Division Two, Nottinghamshire added further fuel to their status as promotion favourites.
Riki Wessels took centre stage with a domineering 202 not out as his side raced along to 447 all out at home to Sussex.
Wessels did most of the acceleration, taking only 177 deliveries and clubbing seven sixes to go with 22 fours, while Stuart Broad added 57.
Broad and strike partner James Pattinson then helped themselves with the new ball to leave Sussex 11 for three.
England's Moeen Ali hit exactly 50 on his first appearance of the season but his Worcestershire side were dismissed for 188 by Northamptonshire at New Road.
Northants lost their position of strength almost immediately, though, as they struggled to 102 for six.
Kent, with two wins from their first two games, were kept to 238 for eight by Derbyshire.
Will Davis and Luis Reece shared six of those wickets, while opener Sean Dickson and South Africa all-rounder Wayne Parnell top-scored with 41.
Durham, on the back of defeat to Nottinghamshire last time out, chose to bowl first at Bristol and had Gloucestershire 265 for seven at the close.
Chris Dent and Will Tavare posted half-centuries at the top of the order but Durham made regular inroads with two wickets apiece for Chris Rushworth, veteran skipper Paul Collingwood and Keaton Jennings.
Leicestershire's first innings at home to Glamorgan offered few pointers for the match ahead, with the hosts reaching 275 for five at stumps.
Source: PA
