Surrey still favourites despite Somerset's strong start

It's been two wins out of two for Somerset in this year's County Championship … and for the umpteenth time in as many seasons, the bridesmaids of county cricket have been given reason to believe. They've never yet won the title, but when their senior spinner Jack Leach is taking match-winning six-wicket hauls in away fixtures in April, optimism can be hard to suppress.

Nevertheless, rather like Liverpool's quest to end their own wait for a Premier League title, Somerset know they may need to go over and above the usual levels required for a Championship pennant, thanks to the quality of their most fundamental foe.

The reigning champions, Surrey, remain ensconced as favourites for back-to-back titles, at 5/2, having emerged unscathed from an exacting campaign opener, a home encounter with the 2017 champions Essex, who beat them in remarkable scenes in the final fixture last September.

Somerset are a handily priced 7/2, with Yorkshire slotting in behind them on 9/2. Hampshire, who were thrashed by the Tykes only a handful of days after themselves thrashing Essex, sit in the middle of the pack on 6/1.

The bottom two in the pecking order are the two most recent returnees to the top flight - Warwickshire and Kent are both priced at 14/1, despite Kent laying claim to the high ground with their eight-wicket win at Edgbaston last week.