After a series of T20 games, red-ball cricket returned for Surrey Second XI as Hampshire visited them for a Second XI Championship game at New Malden.
Having won the toss and chosen to bat, the visitors justified their decision and scored 69 runs without any loss before Amar Virdi broke through, getting IG Holland lbw for 35.
At 85/1, the off-spinner struck again, removing number three BC Brown for 10, who was spectacularly caught by Stuart Van der Merwe at short-leg.
Captain FS Organ then joined the opener WJ La Fontaine-Jackson in the middle, and the duo added 55 more runs for Hampshire before the latter edged James Taylor to second slip for a well-made 48 off 118.
Having batted assertively for his 55, Organ was tangled in off-spinner Tommy Ealham’s trap, who got Hampshire’s captain caught by diving Ben Geddes at leg-slip, leaving the visitors 168/4.
26 runs later, Ealham picked up his second wicket as CS Mumford looped an easy catch in the waiting hands of Nico Reifer at mid-wicket on 15.
DC Kelly became the next batter to be dismissed by Ealham, as the left-hander edged a loopy delivery to Geddes at gully for eight, with Hampshire on 210/6.
Hampshire’s spinner Monam Abbas accompanied wicket-keeper-batter JR Eckland in the middle as the two of them started a crucial partnership for the visitors, adding 55 runs until Virdi got Abbas lbw for 34. s
Having broken a budding partnership, Surrey took three quick wickets and rapidly removed their visitors’ tail, ending their innings on 276. Virdi removed ARJ Fairfax-Ross and EV Jack on his way to another five-for, while Ealham claimed his fourth wicket when he got J Campbell caught by Geddes.
Off-spinners Virdi and Ealham finished with impressive figures of 5/79 and 4/69 respectively.
Surrey found themselves in trouble when they came out to bat, losing captain Geddes and number three Reifer with two runs on board off the bowling of Holland.
Left-handers Ryan Patel and van der Merwe negotiated some probing bowling and steadied Surrey’s ship, taking them to 45/2 before the close of play, trailing Hampshire by 238 runs.
