THE BRIT OVAL

(Day two of four: Surrey won toss)

Hampshire 480-8 (N Pothas 137not out, D Mascharenas 99, MJ Lumb 72) v Surrey

Lunch

Two quick wickets in the opening hour from Jade Dernbach gave Surrey the early impetus at the Brit Oval as the South African claimed figures of 5-1-18-2 in his opening spell.

The young seamer bowled Chris Benham for 29 when the Hampshire batsman played no shot to a ball that nipped back and hit his off stump. Four overs later, Dernbach then forced Sean Ervine to play on, having made six.

Michael Lumb and Nic Pothas swung things back Hampshire's way though, lasting until lunch while adding an unbroken 83 in 25 overs for the fourth wicket. Lumb reached a dogged 50 from 138 balls with his eighth 4, a somewhat fortuitous edge between first and second slip off Alex Tudor.

At lunch, Lumb had moved on to 69 with Pothas unbeaten on 38. Shoaib Akhtar failed to add to his overnight wicket haul, producing a lively opening spell of four overs for just seven runs but without reward.

Tea

Hampshire's fifth wicket partnership of 89 between Michael Lumb and Nic Pothas was finally broken by Saqlain Mushtaq when the former was caught at slip, having edged a ball that turned. Scot Newman held a fine diving catch low to his left, and Lumb was only given out after umpire Nigel Llong had consulted with his colleague Neil Mallinder at square leg.

Lumb clearly did not appreciate the decision, and his body language may well lead to further action. His 72 in exactly four hours with nine fours was the seventh time he has passed 50 this season, and only once has he gone on to reach a century.

There was further frustration for Surrey when the teenager Liam Dawson joined Pothas to add 72 in 18 overs for the sixth wicket.

Dawson played some fine strokes, but also hit the ball regularly in the air, and it was from a top edged pull off Alex Tudor that he finally fell, Shoaib Akhtar clinging on to a fine diving catch at long leg.

The Pakistan pace bowler, limited to two spells before tea today, bowled quickly at times but could not add to his single victim on the first day.

Dimi Mascarenhas, unbeaten on 18, joined Pothas to add 46 in eight overs before tea, with the Hampshire wicketkeeper needing just five more to complete his century.

Close

The final session was an unmitigated disaster for Surrey as Nic Pothas and Dimi Mascarenhas thrashed 165 in 30 overs, a Hampshire seventh wicket record against the London club.

Mascarenhas fell one run short of what would have been his first century for two years when he top-edged an attempted lap off matthew Spriegel and was caught behind.

Chris Tremlett was also caught behind off the young off spinner to put him on a hat-trick, but by now the damage had been done to Surrey, whose chances of surviving relegation surely disappeared on this dispiriting day.

Pothas reached his second 100 of the campaign from 162 balls, and was still unbeaten at the close with 137 to his name. He gave a chance when 130 to Alex Tudor off Pedro Collins, but the dropped catch summed up Surrey’s day. Imran Tahir was also not out at the close, on 22, as a further 29 runs were added in the final 10 overs of the day. Surrey players trooped off at the end, their body language betraying their depressed state as the threat of relegation looms horribly large.