Tremlett not giving up

Chris Tremlett picked up five wickets on day one against Surrey at the Rose Bowl

Chris Tremlett kept "knocking on the door" to regain his England place with five wickets for Hampshire against Surrey at the Rose Bowl.

Tremlett made a nonsense of pre-match expectations this LV County Championship Division One fixture would be all about Mark Ramprakash's pursuit of his 100th first-class hundred.

It was his fellow seamer James Tomlinson who saw off Ramprakash for only 17 on the first morning - but Tremlett finished with 5-67 as Surrey were bowled out for 278.

After Hampshire's reply reached 13 for one at stumps, Tremlett spoke of his growing confidence and optimism he can put himself in the frame for another Test cap this summer.

The 6ft 7in 27-year-old was picked three times against India last summer, narrowly missed out on the subsequent tour of Sri Lanka and then suffered an injury after being chosen for the trip to New Zealand.

"I'm feeling confident and hope I'm not too far away from a Test place, in case anyone gets injured or has a lack of form," he said.

"I'll just keep trying to knock on the door - that's all you can do."

Tremlett is heartened by his physical well-being as well as his current form.

"Last year I never had too many problems (with fitness)," he recalled. "I had a bit of a side strain in the winter - but apart from that, generally I've been feeling pretty good."

Tremlett took four wickets for England Lions against New Zealand at the Rose Bowl last week - and is relishing the faster conditions that have come with the summer's first protracted spell of sunny weather.

"I'm pretty happy with five-for, just carrying on from the Lions game last week," he added. "The last two wickets have had a bit more bounce, more carry - whereas early on they were slow.

"I feel like I've been bowling pretty well the last couple of weeks, found a bit of rhythm. I've felt good all season.

"My body's feeling really good. I'm bowling loads of overs - and touch wood, no injuries."

As for Ramprakash's failure, Tremlett and co were never going to allow the spotlight on the Surrey batsman to deflect them from their own task.

"I guess that was at the back of a few people's minds, but our agenda was just to bowl them out for as few as possible," he pointed out.