Surrey humiliate Hampshire at The Oval

The day night match at The Oval started with a succession of firsts for Surrey this season, it was at home and on time, the darkness and 100% cloud cover were in keeping with the spirit of things and there was life in the pitch.

This was home, there was a nasty taste in the mouth from the weather and performance related problems of the last few weeks and messrs Bicknell and Tudor were in the mood to make somebody pay. The first four fast, straight overs produced three wickets and held a memory of the home sides great, though so far this year unrealised potential and a hope that given decent conditions and the change to adequately prepare their pitches Surrey's season may take off once again.

From the start it was nice to see proper cricket being played with Surrey deploying a slip cordon for their opening bowlers and the bowlers responding with good line and length. It wasn't until the sixth over that the first boundary of the Hampshire innings was scored - a splendid cover drive by Robin Smith. The skies brightened throughout the Hampshire innings, but although Smith, Warne and Extras attempted to make a game of it, Hampshire, in poor form were always struggling. Warne top scored, despite riding his luck early and surviving not being good enough to touch several deliveries from the intermittently excellent Ben Hollioake he struck several magnificent fours from him.

Stephenson, fifth out with the score on 38, was deeply disappointed to be given out caught behind.

Warne in contrary to his reputation of this summer scored three excellent fours from Ben Hollioake to race ahead of Smith, the only other player to offer any resistance.

Surrey's reply began with Butcher driving the third ball of the innings from Mulally in the air to cover point, but from then on there was little or no difficulty with Ward batting steadily and Brown coming into form after a slow start. The enticing spectacle of Brown vs Warne was not long in coming, Warne was tidy and span the ball despite the early season wicket, but, with both batsmen able to choose the ball to play and Brown especially playing well against him there was little that even the great Australian could do to defend a pitiful total against a strong batting side.

Given the poor historical record of the Surrey Southpaws against spin Ian Ward deserves some mention for his play against the strongest spin opposition Surrey will face this season, he scored four with the edge and the assistance of one of many appalling misfields from a dreadful attempted cover drive from Warne but otherwise his play against spin was blameless if you will forgive the crossbatted waft across a straight ball while trying to end it early and reducing Surrey to eighty one for three.

Yet again Ali Brown got himself out trying to hammer a poor delivery from an average bowler out of the ground, Francis taking the catch this time at deep fine leg from the bowling of Mascarenhas. Hampshire did not seem eager to hurry the inevitable, taking their time about bowling the few overs necessary for Surrey to complete a routine rout - the only urgency to seek a result seeming to be on the behalf of their outfielders who seemed keen to bring about a speedy conclusion by a hapless performance. Overall it was hard to believe that this was the same Surrey team which lost badly against Glamorgan at the weekend or the result of Hampshire buying in, in Warne and Mullaly two excellent bowlers.

There was almost an element of resignation in the long hop from Warne which Adam Hollioake pulled cleanly for four to win the match.