Adams and Ervine edge Hants ahead

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Jimmy Adams' 72 was the highest score in an incomplete Hampshire innings that has featured several useful contributions

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Jimmy Adams and Sean Ervine made half-centuries as Hampshire gained the upper hand at the Rose Bowl, where Lancashire are seeking to remain the only unbeaten team in the LV= County Championship.

Lancashire began the second day on 262 for eight and added another 21 runs but, when bad light brought a premature end to the second day's play, Hampshire were four ahead with four wickets intact.

The visitors had added five to their overnight total when former Lancashire all-rounder Dominic Cork snared Simon Kerrigan, and 16 runs later he bowled Gary Keedy.

Cork finished with 4-57 and there were two wickets each for David Balcombe and spinner Danny Briggs.

Hampshire made a dismal start to their reply with Michael Carberry bowled by Glen Chapple without scoring from the third ball of the innings.

Adams was dropped by wicketkeeper Luke Sutton off Tom Smith on 18, and Lancashire paid the penalty as he and Michael Lumb put on 117 for the second wicket.

Lumb, out of form after England's World Twenty20 success in the Caribbean, began to show signs of returning to his best by hitting eight fours in his 48 before he lofted Sajid Mahmood to Kerrigan at fine-leg.

Adams went on to make 72, only to edge Keedy to Sutton after hitting 11 fours in his 158-ball innings.

Neil McKenzie was caught off Keedy and James Vince was in prime form until he was lbw to Steven Croft for 33.

But Ervine was not to be denied and he smashed his way to 56, an innings which included five fours and a six, before he gave Chapple his second wicket of the innings.

Cork and Michael Bates, making his debut, took the score past Lancashire’s before bad light intruded.