Key events
Good night!
And that’s curtains for today from The Oval. Hampshire have done their damnedest to avoid defeat by leaping past that follow on hurdle, thanks to Jake Lehmann and Delano Potgieter. And a couple of evening wickets keeps things interesting. We’ll be back tomorrow, thanks, as always, for your company. Good night.
Stumps: Surrey 57-2 (Fisher 7, Sibley 28) lead Hampshire by 145
Sibley scampers off strike to the second ball of the last over which leaves Fisher to face the best Fuller can muster for four deliveries. He cuts the fourth ball for four, disturbing the pigeons as it rattles to the rope. The last delivery is spirited but Fisher survives.
Dom Sibley, who gets hit in the box area more often then most, is knocked briefly off balance by Fuller. But he’s a tough un. Two overs left. Fisher the nightwatch.
WICKET! Jacks c and b Fuller 8 (Surrey 43-2)
Fuller dives more nimbly than you might imagine for an oak tree of a man and picks up a corking catch just off the ground in his follow through.
A first bowling change, as Fuller replaces Abbott (4-1-9-1). Will Jacks has come out at No.3 – no nightwatch required at this stage.
Rehan Ahmed, fresh from 6-34 against SA A: “My personal goal is just to keep improving and keep working on different variations that I need, so I am very happy with a six-fer. I still feel there were balls in there that I need to improve on but those performances don’t happen every day so I am definitely proud of that.”
“The pitch gave me some good assistance and me and Colesy bowled well together. I think when the pitch is helping it is quite easy to look for too much, which I did a bit near the end, but I was pleased with the way I bowled.”
WICKET! Burns b Abbott 10 (Surrey 27-1)
Burns gets a bit stuck on the crease, goes back and gets an inside edge into middle stump
Baker hustles, Burns nudges him off his boots for four, then four off the thigh pad, then a flamboyant lofted pulled for four more. Surrey 22-0.
“Sipping a nice cup of Earl Grey with a ginger biscuit,” writes Anthony. “Builders to wake up in the morning.” I see where you’re coming, especially with the ginger biscuit, but no.
Sonny Baker (Vauxhall end) and Kyle Abbott (pavilion end) take the new ball, Burns and Sibley have a 16-over endurance test. Just how they like it.
On the Surrey stream, Yas Rana asks Jeremy Coney about Baker. “He was kind of a hurler last time I saw him play” says Jeremy Coney. “I’ve heard he’s become a proper bowler now.”
England Lions beat SA A by six wickets
Spin won the day at New Road as Rehan Ahmed (6 for 34) and James Coles (63 and three wickets), were the heroes of England’s first win against SA A this summer.
16 overs left tonight
Four wickets for Clark, three for Fisher and Hampshire will be pleased to have reduced the deficit to 88.
There will be 16 overs to play today, due to start at 6.02.
Hampshire all out 333, trail Surrey by 88
Abbott is slow to start the engine at the non-striker’s end and is run out by Dan Lawrence for 18. Potgieter is left high and dry for a crucial 84.
Andy Bull takes a cold flannel to hot heads.
A scattering of people in The Oval seats watching this final last stand by Hampshire. Neither man looks in any particular trouble. Potgieter resists temptaion from Jacks and plays out a maiden. The shadows stretch towards the boundary and I’m very sweetly brought a cup of tea. Builders’ – not the abomination that is Earl Grey.
Potgieter is quite a find – a real matador’s flourish to his strokeplay. Hampshire are now just 105 behind.
With an elegant swish, Potgieter outside edges Fisher for four down to the rope, then a whopping six over fine leg allows Hampshire to pocket that elusive second batting point.
I hesitate to type this but England Lions look on track to win their first game against South Africa A. They’re now 82-4, needing just 65 from 28 overs. James Coles and Ben Mayes at the crease.
Fifty for Potgieter
The sun shines down at The Oval as Surrey take the new ball and give it to Matt Fisher and Jordan Clark. Hampshire , now on their highest first-innings score of the year, head towards the untold riches of two batting points.
And that’s a first fifty for Hampshire for Potgieter and very well timed it was too.
Chris Britt-Searle sends this lovely piece on the amazing Guy Bailey.
WICKET! Fuller st Pope b Jacks 24 (Hampshire 277-9)
A demob-happy Fuller dances down the pitch and Jacks straightens one past the outside edge, Pope does the rest.
Hampshire avoid the follow-on
And just on cue, Potgieter blast Jacks for six over long to deny Surrey the option of enforcing the follow-on.
Back just in time to see if Hampshire close in on the follow-on target.
I now have to bob out for an hour or so, but will leave you to chew things over below the line, with Hampshire 197-6 (Lehmann 60, Potgieter 14).
A great Blast round-up from Gary Naylor:
Blast games
There are a few Blast games today.
In the women’s competition:
They’re three overs into the Lancs Thunder v Hampshire Hawks game at Stanley Park, Lancs 23-1.
And a delayed start between Durham and Yorkshire at Chester le Street.
The men kick off later.
Chester-le-Street: Durham v Lancashire Lightning
Chelmsford: Essex v Kent
Northamptonshire: Northamptonshire Steelbacks v Worcestershire Rapids.
Hampshire 181-6 (Lehmann 51, Potgieter 7) Clark again. Heavy footsteps, quick arm. This is an imposing attack Surrey have in this game with Clark and Topley. Together they could challenge Lee Fortis… or a marauding rugby player. Potgieter, who hit the first ball of Clark’s over for four, is still rubbing his chest and now calls for a change of bat.
A better showing by England A today, reducing SA to 129-6 after 26 overs. Three wickets for James Coles, two to Rehan Ahmed.
Potgieter is down on the turf getting treated after being hit on the chest (I think) by Clark. He winces, looks curiously down his own shirt and has a slurp from his water bottle. The physio prods his ribs – yes, all there. We resume, Hampshire 173-6.
Brown b Clark 7 (Hampshire 173-6)
One of those ill -advised leaves that were all the rage in the Test. A cracking ball, nips in and barrels into off stump. A Hampshire banker gone.
Clark zips in – Brown is watchful. Five dots then a single. Oh dear, the cameras spot the groundsmen walking with purpose around the ground towards the covers.
Afternoon session
272 is the magic number for Hampshire. Lehmann and Brown are the men who will need to get them there. Jordan Clark and a headbanded James Taylor take the first overs after lunch. A delicious on drive for four by Brown, who follows up with a stylish one-kneed drive.
Lunch: Hampshire 165-5 (Lehman 50) (Brown 1) trail Surrey by 256 runs
Just 14 overs possible this morning as everyone trails in for lunch. Lehmann reaches an excellent fifty with a jogged single, off 75 balls with eight fours, but he will need Brown to stick around after losing Prest this morning. Hampshire another 107 to avoid the follow-on. Time to grab a sandwich, back soon.
WICKET! Prest c Burns b Clark 19 (Hampshire 163-5)
Clark’s turn for a hearty appeal, this time lbw, on a good line, angling the ball into Prest – but too high. But next delivery he has his man as Prest tries to leave an away swinger – as he goes to pull his ball above his head, he gets a tickle – which just reaches Rory Burns in sun hat at first slip.
Topley thinks he’s got Lehmann caught behind and does an elaborate high-stepping appeal but no-one else has any interest and he has to chug back to his mark unrewarded. We play on.
Transfer news: Kent have signed Bangladesh fast bowler Hasan Mahmud for six Championship games – starting at Blackpool on Friday. He becomes only the second Bangladesh player to play county cricket, and the first to play for Kent.
Jordan Clark now, tatooed arms and pony tail, Lehmann slightly front on fiddles his bat up and down and hooks him to the rope . The rest of the balls are dots. Hants 154-4.
Restart at 12.45
Flood lights are on but fingers crossed.
Rain stops play, Hampshire 150-4 (Lehmann 40, Prest 17)
Lehmann dismisses Fisher for four with a regal march, Fisher fights back, beating the outside edge, then the rain once more starts to sheet across The Oval.
Fisher, so dangerous yesterday, on the money straight away from the Vauxhall end. Hampshire desperately need the other 143 runs necessary to avoid the follow-on .
Play!
Lehmann and Prest in the middle; Topley, leaping up and down at the top of his mark, to finish his over. And the sun is out.
Just realised I’ve been watching the covers on day two on the stream. No wonder it all looked so familiar. Play is actually about to start at The Oval!
There are also four Women’s WC warm-up games today:
Scotland v Pakistan; Ireland v Bangladesh and later this afternoon Netherlands v Sri Lanka and South Africa v New Zealand.
A reminder that the competition proper starts tomorrow at Edgbaston when England play India.
England Lions and South Africa A are playing again today in a 50-over game. So far the tourists are undefeated, beating England Lions by eight wickets in the first unofficial Test, eight wickets in the second Test, 10 wickets in the first 50-over game, and nine wickets in the second.
SA won the toss at New Road, are having a bat, and are 21-0 after four overs.
I’m now looking at the pictures on the Surrey livestream. I don’t think it is raining any more, and there are groundsmen walking about, but the covers are very definitely still on. The flags on top of the pavilion are blowing though, so hopefully some nice blue sky will arrive soon.
Five new cricket domes to be built
The government has announced £3m of funding, to be matched by the ECB, to build five all-weather cricket domes in areas currently without those facilities: Birmingham, Bolton, Derby, Newcastle and Nottingham.
The domes will be cricket-led but will support a range of sports and activities to keep people active. There are already three ECB-funded domes – in Willehall, Bradford and Darwen, Lancashire, with two more due to open in Luton and Faringdon.
Rain
I’m afraid we are re-running the story of day two. It is raining at The Oval. The covers are on.
And Simon Burnton on the latest nightclub shenanigans from England’s men’s team.
“The Capsey Massive will be there for sure”
Raf talks to Alice Capsey, who has just nailed down her place in time for the World Cup to begin on Thursday.
Preamble
Hello and welcome to day three of this one-off match between Surrey and Hampshire. Rain ruined much of yesterday but the forecast looks more perky for today. Do join us for that and to chew over events at the Rex Rooms on Sunday night.