Hampshire stutter after stand

Saqlain Mushtaq spun a web around Hampshire's batsmen with 2-32 © Getty Images

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Hampshire were set to concede a first-innings deficit to Surrey despite half-centuries from Michael Brown and Michael Lumb on the second day at the Rose Bowl.

Brown (66) and Lumb (60) rescued the hosts from 13 for two in a stand of 133, before Chris Jordan’s testing pace kickstarted the loss of five wickets for only 28 runs to put Surrey back in control of this LV County Championship Division One match.

Hampshire had to battle through cloudy conditions, on a pitch which continued to favour the pace bowlers, on the way to 204 for seven in reply to 278 by the time bad light wiped out 26 scheduled overs to bring an early close.

They lost out-of-form Jimmy Adams for a duck in only the fourth over of the day, the left-hander nicking a Jimmy Ormond outswinger behind.

Brown and Lumb therefore had much work to do to get their team out of trouble but met the challenge posed by a four-strong pace attack with sensible and unflustered batting.

The only significant alarms in a largely uneventful morning session were suffered by Lumb, off the bowling of Pedro Collins.

The number four was hit on the helmet as he aborted a planned pull shot at a bouncer - and in the ex-West Indies Test bowler’s next over, Lumb offered a tough chance to second slip which Jordan could not accept as he dived to his right.

Compact opener Brown accumulated without fuss and was notably deft off his legs on his way to a 122-ball 50 which came up shortly after lunch.

Chris Jordan's testing pace kickstarted the loss of five Hampshire wickets for 28 runs

Lumb followed him at a slightly quicker tempo, in an alliance which served Hampshire very well until Jordan did enough in a lively late-afternoon spell from the northern end not only to break the stand, but also see off both set batsmen.

Brown followed a short-of-a-length ball outside off stump and edged the young seamer behind.

Wicketkeeper Jonathan Batty might have had his fourth catch of the innings from the next ball but was unable to hang on to new batsman Chris Benham’s mishook, after racing 30 yards towards long leg and diving full length to try to collect.

Jordan did not have to wait long for his second wicket, though, Lumb continuing with his uncanny run of lbw dismissals from recent championship innings as well his inability to convert half-centuries into three figures since his switch from Yorkshire to Hampshire last year.

The left-hander slightly lost his balance as Jordan’s inswing did the trick, and with Benham bowled for only a single pushing forward to Saqlain Mushtaq three overs later, Hampshire were back in an awkward spot.

Saqlain’s control and cunning were telling factors, but at least two batsmen contributed significantly to their own downfall.

Captain Dimitri Mascarenhas chipped a tame return catch back at Saqlain and Sean Ervine played on to Collins.

Surrey were therefore restored as strong favourites for a useful lead, despite Alistair Brown’s failure to hang on to a straightforward chance at backward square when Greg Lamb mis-swept Saqlain on five.