Tom Lawes claimed back-to-back five-wicket hauls as Surrey collected three of the five points needed to be crowned LV= Insurance County Championship winners.
All-rounder Lawes pulled out the Hampshire middle-order for his third five-for of the season – worth five for 27 – with Kemar Roach picking up three for 41.
Hampshire built their innings of 219 around Ben Brown’s positive 78, before Mohammad Abbas pinned back Surrey to end the day on 47 for two – a deficit of 172.
Surrey needed five points to be confirmed county champions for a second year in a row – even if they failed to do so all they’d need to do is avoid defeat to prevent Essex from overtaking them.
Early morning rain saw the toss, and play, delayed by an hour before Surrey chose to bowl. It took until the ninth over for Surrey to open up the Hampshire top-order as Toby Albert jabbed unconvincingly at Roach to edge to second slip Jamie Overton.
In the West Indian’s following over, he found Nick Gubbins chopping on a floaty ball outside off stump. Point one of five was chalked off in the 18th over when James Vince back foot swish was gobbled by Overton to hand Lawes his first wicket with his fourth ball.
The pitch didn’t appear to have any demons in but Hampshire’s batters struggled to escape the accurate Surrey bowler’s clasp.
Fletcha Middleton battled hard for 52 balls before losing the battle of patience against Jordan Clark – who cleaned out his off stump, with a brilliant delivery that snorted back in after pitching.
Lawes, who had claimed five for 105 against Northamptonshire last week, was on song today as well as he disrupted the Hampshire middle-order. After Vince, Tom Prest was Lawes’ next victim when last week’s century-maker followed his captain in wafting on the backfoot – this time Ben Foakes grabbed the simple catch.
Liam Dawson, who played a match-winning innings in Hampshire’s sensational victory over Essex last week, failed to replicate his heroics as he drove to second slip.
Ian Holland stuck around to put on 33 with Brown – who was starting to get into his work – before Roach returned to strangle him down the legside.
Brown was forced to guide the tail through things to get the score towards respectability, with stands of 55 and 45 with James Fuller and Kyle Abbott. His ten boundaries all came square or behind the wicket on his way to a 63-ball half-century.
Fuller fell after a nicely crafted 25 when he was lbw to spinner Cam Steel before Brown gave a fourth wicket to Lawes and a fourth catch to second slip Overton. A third point in the bag for the Three Feathers.
Mohammad Abbas was the last to fall for a four-ball duck when Lawes pinned him leg before and completed his well-grated five-for.
Surrey had 20 overs to bat out under the now clean-skied Ageas Bowl with 300 in their sights to win the title. Abbas, however, started things brightly for the hosts as Dom Sibley faintly edged behind and Rory Burns played onto his own stumps for evening figures of two for 20.
But Ryan Patel and Sai Sudharsan came together to navigate a tricky period of play, watchfully adding 29 runs off 65 balls before the close.
