THE BRIT OVAL

(Day three of four: Surrey won toss)

Surrey (171-7) v Hampshire (480-8)

Lunch

Rain prevented any play before lunch at the Brit Oval, but proceedings finally got underway at 2.15pm under slate-grey skies.

Hampshire declared their first innings at close, having finished on 480-8 the previous evening.

Tea

Hampshire enjoyed much the better of the session, taking three wickets inside the first 21 overs to reduce Surrey to 78 for three.

Dimi Mascarenhas made the breakthrough in the fourth over when he had Matthew Spriegel caught behind wafting at a ball angled across him without much foot movement.

Mark Ramprakash joined Scott Newman to add 76 in 17 overs for the second wicket with the opener dominating the partnership. Newman had just completed a pugnacious 50 off 58 balls with 10 fours when he was caught at cover playing a loose back-foot forcing shot off James Tomlinson.

It was a setback that Surrey could have absorbed, but the seriousness of their plight was exacerbated when, two balls later, Jon Batty ran himself out. Having set off for a sharp single into the covers, the Surrey wicketkeeper was beaten at the non-striker’s end by his former team-mate, Michael Carberry, who collected the ball quickly and scored a direct hit to claim his side's third wicket.

Ramprakash was still unbeaten at tea, having made a solid 23, while Usman Afzaal went into the break on three.

With 331 needed to save the follow-on and only one more specialist batsman remaining, Surrey knew that much depended on the fourth wicket pair.

Close

Another bad session for Surrey saw them lose four wickets to slip to 164-7, still a long way short of their follow on target of 331. Only Mark Ramprakash, who completed a 108-ball 50, stood firm, as the lower middle order buckled under the pressure imposed by Hampshire’s disciplined attack.

James Tomlinson trapped Usman Afzaal leg before not long after tea to expose the tail, a long one with Alex Tudor batting as high as number six. The former England pace bowler became the third player to record a duck when he was caught at silly point off Imran Tahir; James Benning followed soon after, bowled driving at the Pakistani leg spinner; and when Saqlain Mushtaq was caught trying to sweep, his compatriot had claimed three wickets in 21 balls.

Victory for Hampshire would guarantee their First Division status for next year, while defeat for Surrey would confirm their relegation. The London club will be hoping for some assistance from the weather on the final day.