Tumultuous short first day at Arundel - Kia Oval Skip to main content
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Laurie Evans and Jamie Smith took the first steps to a recovery for Surrey as they reached 79 for five on a rain-affected first day against Hampshire at Arundel.

Surrey skipper Mark Stoneman won the toss and elected to bat first after no play was completed during the morning session, due to misty-rain and bad light.

Stoneman did manage to stroke 12 off the opening over of the innings, as Brad Wheal looked rusty during his first first-class bowl for 825 days.

Medium-pacer Holland has usually been utilised as a fifth seamer during his three years at Hampshire.

But with Abbott and Edwards stuck abroad, and Barker, Stevenson and Dale all injured, Holland claimed the new ball and excelled.

He needed just five balls to bowl Ryan Patel – with the left-handed batsman able to block the ball only for it to slowly rotate back and tip his off-stump bail off.

In his next over, the Australia-bred Holland found Scott Borthwick’s outside edge to nick behind for a duck.

Scotland international Wheal then put his injury problems behind him to have Will Jacks lbw – his 10 overs in the session returning 1-29 – before Stoneman was leg before to Holland for 21.

Surrey have so far fallen foul of availability issues, with 14 players missing for their defeat to Essex last week.

They welcomed back former South Africa international Morne Morkel – who flew in from Australia – with Matt Dunn and Jason Roy also returning to the side.

Roy, who missed the opening two rounds as he was in England’s white-ball side, was the fifth man to depart on his first red-ball appearance since last summer’s Ashes.

Roy offered no shot to Holland’s in-ducker – which was adjudged to be hitting the off stump – handing the all-rounder his 50th first-class scalp.

Evans and Smith’s methods of rebuilding juxtaposed each other. Evans, on loan from Sussex, thrashed James Fuller for four successive boundaries, while wicketkeeper Smith score one from his first 35 balls.

Smith had proportionately accelerated to three from 48 deliveries and Evans reached an accomplished 39 before an early tea was taken due to bad light – and with the light failing to improve and rain falling, it also ended the day’s play.