Hants soar to the top of the County Championship (From Daily Echo)

Hants soar to the top of the County Championship

4:30pm Friday 12th September 2008

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By Simon Walter »

Hampshire (480-8dec) bt Surrey (210 & 148) by an innings and 122 runs

Points: Hampshire (22), Surrey (2)

Hampshire bowling: Tremlett 13-5-28-3, Mascarenhas 12-8-13-4, Tomlinson 14-3-58-3, Imran Tahir 15-5-34-0, Dawson 7-4-10-0, Ervine 3-2-4-0

148 James Tomlinson was mobbed by his delighted teammates after another inswinger, a familiar sight this season, beat a forward lunge from Pedro Collins (0) and bowled him to secure Hampshire's third win in four Championship matches, with 17 overs remaining. Incredibly, Hampshire now lead the first division by a single point with one match left, against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge. Hampshire will need to win that convincingly and hope other results go their way but you cannot write them off. Surrey's first division status is all over bar the shouting and their misery was complete when they were docked a point for a slow over rate during the first two days.

148-9 Prodding forward to James Tomlinson, Shoaib Akhtar (2) edged to Michael Lumb low down at first slip. Tomlinson now has 63 first-class wickets this season, the best haul by a Hampshire bowler since Shane Warne took 70 in 2000.

137-8 Chris Tremlett claimed his third wicket when Jade Dernbach (4) edged a drive to Nic Pothas. Steve Harmison has taken two wickets in Somerset's second innings at Taunton but that will finish in a draw so a Hampshire win would make them tonight's Championship leaders, above Somerset by a single point, having played a game more than the rest of the congested top four

128-7 A change of ends for James Tomlinson accounted for Saqlain Mushtaq (24). A Tomlinson inswinger in his first over of the innings from the Vauxhall End went straight through the Pakistani's defence to end his 53-run partnership with Usman Afzaal (28*). 24 overs remain for Hampshire to take the last three wickets.

TEA 112-6 (Saqlain 14*, Afzaal 22*) after 49 overs

101-6 Surrey should take Hampshire to the final session. With tea less than ten minutes away and 35 overs remaining, Liam Dawson replaced Sean Ervine (3-2-4-0) at the Vauxhall End

90-6 After six weeks without being able to bowl because of an ankle injury, Sean Ervine began with a maiden from the Vauxhall End so Imran Tahir could switch to the Pavilion End for the first time.

86-6 Imran Tahir replaced Dimi Mascarenhas after a sensational second spell (7-4-12-3) from the captain

75-6 Another wicket for Chris Tremlett! Alex Tudor (0) edged to second slip where Sean Ervine held on to his left with both hands. Hampshire's spectacular charge to the Championship's summit is gathering momentum. Surrey have lost five wickets for 14 runs in 56 deliveries

75-5 Chris Tremlett claimed his first wicket of the match when Jon Batty (2) edged a drive straight to Chris Benham at third slip in the next over, the 14th after lunch

75-4 Michael Brown's lightning-quick reactions at short-leg, where he held on to a one-handed diving catch to his right, gave Dimi Mascarenhas the big wicket of Mark Ramprakash (11). Mascarenhas now has 4-10 and with 51 overs remaining Hampshire look like going to the top of the Championship table tonight, providing Somerset hang on for a draw against Durham. Who would have predicted that two months ago?

66-3 Dimi Mascarenhas continued his fabulous spell by having Scott Newman (51) caught low down by Sean Ervine at second slip. Newman stood his ground before Nigel Llong gave him out after consulting with square-leg umpire Neil Mallender when it was perfectly clear the ball had carried. Mascarenhas's first spell (5-4-1-1) was impressive enough but he has taken two wickets without conceding a run since returning at the Vauxhall End

61-2 Mark Ramprakash returned to the crease in the seventh over after lunch when Dimi Mascarenhas trapped James Benning (6) lbw. Scott Newman reached his second fifty in as many days (66 balls, ten fours) in the previous over. With 56 remaining, there is plenty of time for Hampshire to get the eight wickets they need

LUNCH 43-1 (Newman 34*, Benning 4*) after 17 overs

42-1 An out-of-sorts James Tomlinson was replaced by Liam Dawson at the Pavilion End after a surprisingly poor first spell (3-0-31-0)

23-1 Dimi Mascarenhas dismissed Matt Spriegel (4) for the second time in as many days when the right-hander was lbw playing aroundd a straight one. Sussex's win against Middlesex last night ended any hope Hampshire had of winning the Natwest Pro40 but, incredibly, they will probably go top of the Championship if they beat Surrey today

23-0 Scott Newman cut two succeessive fours in an expensive first over from James Tomlinson that the Surrey left-hander completed with an edge through the slips for another bounddary

11-0 Left-hander Scott Newman is living dangerously. An inside edge against Chris Tremlett flew past his leg stump for the first four of the innings

1-0 Scott Newman got off the mark when a thick edge against Chris Tremlett flew to Liam Dawson's left at gully. A flying Dawson got his hands to the ball

Surrey made 210 in reply to Hampshire's 480-8 declared

Hampshire bowling: Tremlett 16-5-47-0, Mascarenhas 12-6-35-1, Tomlinson 15-4-51-2, Tahir 22-8-29-4, Dawson 4-1-32-2

210 Liam Dawson took the last wicket to fall when Pedro Collins (3) was caught at mid-wicket by Chris Tremlett. Surrey lost their last three wickets for 39 runs in 14 overs this morning. Shoaib faced just 16 balls for his 27* and will not be needed to bowl again as Surrey are going to be asked to follow on

205-9 Shoaib Akhtar took Surrey to the consolation of a batting point with three sixes and a four in five deliveries from Liam Dawson. He hit the first two sixes in succession over long on before cutting a long hop to the fence. After blocking the next delivery he hit his biggest maximum so far over wide long-on

183-9 Even Mark Ramprakash (65) is nonpluussed by Imran Tahir. In the 11th over of the morning, Hampshire's rising star bowled the best batsman in the country as he attempted to slog across the line. You don't often see that from Ramps.

175-8 The light is so poor this morning that Liam Dawson had to come on at the Pavilion End to keep the umpires happy (Imran Tahir is bowling from the Vauxhall End). Chris Tremlett had bowled three maidens and beaten Mark Ramprakash with a beauty before being replaced by the slow left-armer. But it proved to be a good bowling change as Jade Dernbach (3) was caught at slip by Sean Ervine after edging Dawson's third delivery.

Surrey resumed on 171-7 this morning

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