CONTRASTING centuries from Jimmy Adams and James Vince put Hampshire in command of their Specsavers County Championship Division One match against Surrey at the Kia Oval.

Opener Adams played the anchor role to perfection, scoring 144 of Hampshire’s opening day 361 for 4, while Vince’s 104 from 129 balls was the far more flamboyant affair which revitalised the innings after a tough first session against a seaming ball.

Adams and Vince added 161 in 35 overs for the third wicket after Surrey’s Curran brothers had each taken a wicket to reduce the visitors to 71 for 2 after they had won a toss.

At lunch Hampshire had laboured to 78 for 2, and Adams had ground out an unbeaten 24 from 89 balls, but it was a different story in the next two sessions as Surrey’s attack wilted.

The 36-year-old Adams had hit two sixes and 19 fours, from 262 balls, when he was bowled from the first ball of the day’s final over by teenage off spinner Amar Virdi.

Vince, who was a fixture in England’s Test team last summer, hit 19 fours in his 20th first-class ton and the only disappointment in what was a high-class knock came when he flashed at a widish ball from Tom Curran to be caught at the wicket – soon after almost doing the same against two similarly ill-judged shots from deliveries from the same bowler when he was on 98.

George Bailey, however, then came in to hit an assured 61 not out as he and left-hander Adams ensured it would be Hampshire’s day in a further fourth wicket stand of 129.

In the day’s penultimate over former Australian batsman Bailey thumped Mark Footitt’s fast left arm high over extra cover for his ninth four to underline Hampshire’s dominance.

Both Adams and Bailey hit 18-year-old Virdi for straight sixes, and the teenager was only making his second first-class appearance because Surrey captain Gareth Batty had been forced to pull out of the match after tweaking a calf muscle in the warm-ups.

Rory Burns stepped in to lead Surrey, who were also missing Kumar Sangakkara through injury.

The Sri Lankan master batsman split the webbing in a hand during Surrey’s Royal London One-Day Cup final defeat against Nottinghamshire at Lord’s on Saturday, and it was always going to be a difficult day for them following the bitter disappointment of losing a third successive 50-over cup final.

With more good fortune they would have had made further inroads into Hampshire’s top order in the morning session, but Adams’ initial strokelessness was more than vindicated by the way he and Vince transformed the innings in a partnership which took a lot of the fight out of Surrey’s bowlers.

The 26-year-old Vince was jettisoned by England after managing only 212 runs in seven Tests in 2016, at an average of 19 and with a top score of just 42, but his strokemaking ability has never been in question.

Vince reached his fifty in 71 balls, with ten fours, while Adams laboured for 138 balls to reach the same landmark.

Towards the end of the second session, however, Adams opened up with a series of lovely offside strokes of his own as Surrey’s bowlers came under increasing pressure.

Some of Vince’s offside play – both driving through extra cover and forcing off the back foot – was truly memorable, while Adams, who was on 83 at tea, raced to three figures soon after the interval.

He drove Virdi for a six and two fours in the space of four balls to speed to 98 and, after a single off the same bowler later in that over, completed his 23rd first-class hundred with a two turned through mid wicket off Sam Curran. Later, Adams also pulled Tom Curran for six.

During Hampshire’s earlier struggles, Sam Curran bowled Lewis McManus for 13 with a full inswinger and Tom Curran removed Rilee Rossouw for 28 with the third ball of his second spell – the left-hander pushing forward with hard hands and edging to Scott Borthwick at second slip.

After becoming the first Hampshire batsman to pass 500 Specsavers County Championship runs this season, Adams said: “It was disappointing to get out in the final over - I just played all round it! 

“But I would have taken 144 at the start of the day.

“We just tried to absorb the pressure a bit at the start of the day. The Curran boys got it to move around a bit, but it was always going to get easier and it’s a god pitch. I just tried to stay there and then expand my innings as it went on. 

“I’m pleased with where we are and James Vince made it look easy during our stand. 

“He’s very hard to bowl at when he’s in like that. But I thought both George Bailey and Rilee Rossouw batted well too.

“I think we need to kick on again tomorrow. We need to put miles into their legs in the field and then hope there’s a bit more in the pitch later in the game. 

“Perhaps there might be something for Mason Crane, because wrist spinners usually find something more in a surface. It can stay flat here, but it can also turn later in a match. First we need more runs on the board.”

Surrey director of cricket Alec Stewart said: “Hampshire have a strong batting side but we need more discipline in our bowling. 

“On good pitches you have to consistently try to hit the top of off stump - if you do that you can get success but if you don’t you will get punished.”