It's been 49 days since the last ball was bowled in the County Championship, marking the longest hiatus since WG Grace faced Bobby Peel when the competition first began in 1890.
The last set of matches concluded on July 3, and since then, the cricket spotlight has shifted to the glitz of The Hundred, along with the enduring charm of the One-Day Cup played across traditional out-grounds.
Now, as red-ball cricket resumes at 11:00 BST on Thursday, all 18 counties are set to take the field, mostly returning to their home grounds for the season's final stretch.
So, where were we before the break?
Surrey, the reigning champions from 2022 and 2023, remain on top, having secured six victories in their nine matches, accumulating 157 points. They hold a 23-point lead over Somerset, who are closely followed by Essex (128 points) and Hampshire (120 points), in what seems to be a title race narrowed down to four contenders.
In this crucial round, Hampshire and Essex clash in Southampton, while Surrey faces seventh-placed Lancashire—the last team to win at The Oval, which happened 14 months ago.
Somerset, chasing a treble and already finalists in the One-Day Cup, take on a winless Warwickshire in Birmingham. Warwickshire, desperate for points at the bottom of the table, are searching for their first Championship victory since defeating Middlesex at Lord's last September. Meanwhile, Kent, sitting at the bottom with 66 points, trail Worcestershire by 25 points and face them in a critical showdown at Worcester.
A loss for Kent could spell disaster, but Worcestershire, currently on 91 points, are within reach of their Midlands rivals, Warwickshire (96 points), as well as Lancashire (101 points), Nottinghamshire, and Durham, both of whom sit on 102 points before their encounter at Chester-le-Street.
As for the battle to secure promotion from Division Two next season, Yorkshire will be bolstered by the return of Jonny Bairstow, fresh from The Hundred, for their match against leaders Sussex at Scarborough. This pits third-placed Yorkshire (123 points) against first-placed Sussex, who hold a 27-point advantage.
Second-placed Middlesex, temporarily based at Merchant Taylors' School, host seventh-placed Northamptonshire. Despite being near the bottom of the table, Northamptonshire is only 30 points away from a promotion spot.
At the bottom of Division Two, Derbyshire, trailing Northamptonshire by 19 points, welcome the other One-Day Cup finalists, Glamorgan, to their home ground.
In another key match, fourth-placed Leicestershire faces sixth-placed Gloucestershire, who are just 12 points behind—setting the stage for a potential promotion showdown.