SOUTHAMPTON (Day one of four; Surrey won toss)

Surrey 278 all out; Hampshire have scored 13 for 1

Lunch

Mark Ramprakash will have to wait a little longer for his 100th first-class hundred. The Surrey batsman, in to face the fifth ball of his team’s LV County Championship match against Hampshire when Jon Batty was caught at second slip in the opening over of the game, made only 17.

Pushing half-forward to James Tomlinson’s left-arm seam, Ramprakash got a faint edge and was caught by Tom Burrows, the 23-year old reserve wicketkeeper deputising for the injured Nic Pothas.

Ramprakash, who completed his 99th first-class century against Sussex 10 days ago, did manage three fours from the 45 balls he faced, but like his teammates found batting hard work against a Hampshire seam attack in which Chris Tremlett was outstanding.

Tomlinson, who also bowled well, may have got the prize wicket but Tremlett, especially with his trademark steep bounce, was always a handful and bowled Scott Newman for 42 off an under edge during his second spell after having Batty smartly held for a golden duck at the start of his new ball burst.

Tea

Mark Butcher and Usman Afzaal took their fourth wicket partnership to 77 in the first hour after lunch, with Afzaal looking in fine touch despite one uncomfortable moment against Tomlinson.

The left-armer, bowling from the Northern End, made a delivery rear nastily from just short of a length and Afzaal could only fend it off from in front of his face, with the ball flying high over second slip to the third man boundary.

Once again, however, it was Tremlett who gave Hampshire their next success. Returning in place of Tomlinson for a third spell of the game, he had Afzaal lbw for a 77-ball 40 to leave Surrey 149 for 4.

Butcher battled on, mainly content to play within himself but also once driving Greg Lamb’s off-spin over long on for six. It was a surprise when, giving Lamb the charge when just one run short of his fifty, Surrey’s captain skied a catch to mid-wicket. At tea, Alastair Brown was on 27 and Surrey had just registered their first batting bonus point.

Close

Chris Jordan, the exciting Barbados-born 19-year old all-rounder, began the day’s final session by effortlessly flicking Tremlett away off his pads to the square leg boundary, but with their total on 215 Surrey lost a sixth wicket when Brown tried to cut a ball from Sean Ervine which was too close to him and nicked to Burrows.

Matt Nicholson, however, dug in alongside Jordan and Surrey made slow but steady progress towards the 250 mark.

Tremlett, brought back late on for a fourth spell, struck again immediately by having Jordan lbw before, in his next over, seeing Jimmy Adams put down Nicholson at second slip.

It was not an expensive miss, though, as Tremlett – finishing with 5 for 67 – and Tomlinson combined to bring the Surrey innings quickly to an end.

In the two overs of their reply that had to be bowled before the close, Hampshire lost opener Michael Carberry to an away-cutter from Jimmy Ormond, leaving honours even after a hard-fought day.