Surrey edge opening day against Hampshire

A dramatic opening day of the County Championship match at the Kia Oval saw 15 wickets fall as Surrey just about forged a position of strength over Hampshire.

Ryan Patel and Rory Burns guided Surrey to 123-5 at stumps after they had earlier dismissed Hampshire for 151.

Patel, coming in to join Burns with Surrey stuttering at 44-4, unfurled some fine strokes in his 41 from 94 balls while opener Burns dropped anchor to reach an unbeaten 39 in almost three and a half hours.

Together they put on 75 in 25 overs before Patel was bowled by one from Mohammad Abbas that kept low.

Kyle Abbott knocked Dom Sibley’s off stump out of the ground for four in the second over of Surrey’s reply and James Fuller then forced Ollie Pope to play on for 13 as he attempted to withdraw his bat from an outswinger.

Jamie Smith was bowled on the stroke of tea for 13 by Brad Wheal, and Abbott returned after the interval to have Dan Lawrence leg-before for two with a ball that shaped back into his pads before Patel and Burns got to work.

Earlier, Fletcha Middleton edged Dan Worrall to second slip for four but Ali Orr progressed fluently to 26 before flicking Jordan Clark’s third ball to square leg.

Hampshire’s innings was soon in disarray as Worrall dismissed James Vince and Tom Prest with successive balls in the last over of a superb seven-over opening spell of 3-21.

Liam Dawson calmly punched Worrall’s hat-trick ball through mid on for two but on three he was beaten by Gus Atkinson’s pace and bounce and edged to first slip.

Clark then surprised Ben Brown with some extra bounce and an attempted pull merely resulted in a spliced easy return catch.

Nick Gubbins and Fuller put on a defiant partnership of 61 in 17 overs but on 91-6 Gubbins was bowled for 45 by a fine inswinger from Kemar Roach, operating from around the wicket to the left-hander.

Then, eight runs later, Fuller was gone too for a punchy 39 from 55 balls when he uppercut Atkinson to deep cover where Roach took a sprawling catch.

And, when Wheal edged Atkinson behind on 12 and Abbott mishit Clark to Roach at long on, Hampshire had been bowled out in 44.4 overs.