Mark Ramprakash's search for his 100th hundred lasted only an uncomfortable 52 minutes at the Rose Bowl, before James Tomlinson's left-arm seam induced a thin edge. To see the great man walking off with only 17 to his name was almost surreal.

The ball, indeed, more than held its own for the whole of the first day against Surrey's powerful batting line-up, making for some interesting and hard-fought cricket and allowing Chris Tremlett, the pick of a hard-working Hampshire seam attack, to send an eve-of-Test reminder to the England selectors.

Robert Key, the England Lions captain, felt that Tremlett outbowled both Matthew Hoggard and Graham Onions in the drawn game against the New Zealanders on this ground last week and here he was consistently threatening - and at times distinctly hostile - on a pitch offering some bounce and movement.

Tomlinson overdid the short ball at times but Tremlett, with his steep bounce, impressed again to take five for 67 across four spells. The scalp of Jon Batty, moreover, in his opening over, exposed Ramprakash to a new-ball test that - here at least - he could not pass.

Batty was well held at second slip and Ramprakash was half-forward defensively when Tomlinson brought a halt to his 45-ball stay.

A positive 42 by Scott Newman, which was a worthy effort in the conditions, ended in an unfortunate manner for the batsman when he was bowled off an under edge trying to lift his bat out of the way of another Tremlett lifter.

At 72 for 3, Surrey were in need of a fighting stand of 77 between their captain, Mark Butcher, and Usman Afzaal, the new recruit from Northamptonshire who is already proving to be an inspired signing.

Tremlett, however, returned to have Afzaal leg-before for 40 and Butcher's near three-hour stay came to a disappointing end when he tried to repeat a driven six against Greg Lamb, the off spinner, and skied to mid-wicket.

Alastair Brown edged an attempted cut behind and Tremlett's fourth spell was too sharp for the Surrey lower order, with Tomlinson also assisting in the cleaning-up operation.

A sting in the tail, though, for Hampshire came when Michael Carberry, the in-form England Lions opener, fell to Jimmy Ormond in the two overs of their reply that had to be bowled before the close.

Surrey: First Innings

S A Newman b Tremlett 42
J N Batty c Adams b Tremlett 0
M R Ramprakash c Burrows b Tomlinson 17
*M A Butcher c Ervine b Lamb 49
U Afzaal lbw b Tremlett 40
A D Brown c Burrows b Ervine 33
C J Jordan lbw b Tremlett 24
M J Nicholson not out 40
J Ormond c Benham b Tomlinson 0
Saqlain Mushtaq c Ervine b Tremlett 7
P T Collins c Ervine b Tomlinson 0

Extras (b 11, lb 9, w 2, nb 4) 26

Total (91.5 overs) 278

Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-51, 3-72, 4-149, 5-193, 6-215, 7-250, 8-258, 9-277.

Bowling: Tremlett 23-7-67-5; Tomlinson 22.5-7-62-3; Mascarenhas 19-6-37-0; Ervine 12-1-37-1; Lamb 15-1-55-1.

Hampshire: First Innings

M A Carberry c Batty b Ormond 2
M J Brown not out 7

Total (1 wkt, 1.4 overs) 9

J H K Adams, C C Benham, M J Lumb, S M Ervine, G A Lamb, *A D Mascarenhas, T G Burrows, C T Tremlett and J A Tomlinson to bat.

Fall of wicket: 1-9.

Bowling: Collins 1-0-2-0; Ormond 0.4-0-7-1.

Umpires: B Dudleston and R T Robinson.