Tahir engineers late collapse

Despite half-centuries from Scott Newman and Mark Ramprakash, Surrey enter the final day of the LV County Championship clash with Hampshire trailing by 309 runs and with their Division One status hanging by a thread.

Play eventually got under way at the Brit Oval after lengthy rain delays and rock-bottom Surrey were soon in trouble, losing three early wickets.

They managed to restore some pride when Newman raced to 58 and Ramprakash chipped in with an unbeaten 55, but worse was still to come.

Spinner Imran Tahir claimed three late wickets in 21 balls with the dismissals of Alex Tudor, James Benning, and Saqlain Mushtaq in quick succession to leave Surrey 171 for seven, needing a further 160 to avoid the follow-on.

Earlier, Hampshire declared on their overnight total of 480 for eight thanks to a brilliant unbeaten 137 from Nic Pothas and Dimitri Mascarenhas' superb 99.

Imran Tahir's three late wickets stopped Surrey in their tracks

Once Surrey lost Matthew Spriegel in the fourth over of the day, they were always on the back foot.

The 21-year-old drove loosely at an outswinger from Mascarenhas and edged to Pothas behind the stumps for a duck.

Newman looked to dominate an attack led by England’s Chris Tremlett, who saw the left-hander continually steer the ball through or over the slip cordon and down to the boundary.

He quickly moved to his half-century, having faced only 59 balls and struck 10 boundaries, the last of which was a glorious cover drive off Mascarenhas.

However, when he had reached 58, and with the score on 78 for one in the 22nd over, he smashed the ball straight to Michael Brown at cover.

Just two balls later, Jon Batty went for a quick single into the covers and was run out without scoring, beaten by a direct throw from 20 yards from former team-mate Michael Carberry.

Together with Ramprakash, Usman Afzaal steadied the ship somewhat as they pushed the score past three figures, but in the 41st over Afzaal was trapped leg before by James Tomlinson for 20.

Tudor, promoted above Benning in the order, did not last long as he became the third batsman to fall without scoring, deceived by the spin from Tahir and trapped in front to leave Surrey struggling on 126 for five.

Soon afterwards Ramprakash completed another fifty, but saw Benning bowled for 18 and Saqlain steer the ball to Sean Ervine at leg gully for one.