Brown praises Butcher's bold declaration

Points: Surrey (9), Hampshire (8)

Hampshire's Michael Brown swallowed his disappointment at having to settle for a draw to praise Surrey captain Mark Butcher for the declaration which set up a thrilling finish at the Rose Bowl.

Opener Brown added 94 to his first-innings 66 as Hampshire closed on 247 for eight - just 34 runs short of the target set by Butcher when he ended the visitors' second innings on 229 for eight.

Hampshire had 75 overs to make 281, and it was only in the final five overs of the LV Division One match that they called off a chase which was undermined most by Pakistani off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq's five for 74.

"I was a bit surprised when 'Butch' called them in," Brown admitted.

"But it was good for cricket and probably about the right amount to chase - because it meant we obviously would have to take a few risks against the turning ball.

"I don't think it was doing quite as much as he expected with the new ball - so we managed to get off to a reasonable start and get a chance to go for the total."

Brown had mixed feelings nonetheless, because Hampshire had chances throughout the four days to prevail in a topsy-turvy match which ended instead with both teams still searching a first championship win of the season.

"It was frustrating, because we had a good chance in the first innings to try and get past them and probably had opportunities to win the game," said the 28-year-old, who hit ten fours from 163 balls but fell to Saqlain just when he and Sean Ervine were preparing to begin a final assault.

"We just lost a few wickets at crucial times," he said.

"Sean Ervine and I were probably just about to put the foot down for the last 17 or 18 overs.

"But Saqlain bowled very well throughout the second innings, and I was lbw - which was a shame.

"But we gave it a good go, and a draw was probably a fair result."

All four results remained feasible deep into the final hour of this LV Division One contest, in which both teams were pushing for a first win of the season.

But in the gathering gloom of a day which was cloudy throughout, it was injured strike bowler Chris Tremlett and reserve wicketkeeper Tom Burrows who ended up batting out 29 balls to ensure the stalemate.

Hampshire closed 34 runs short with just two wickets intact, after Surrey captain Mark Butcher had set them a teasing target of 281 in 75 overs.

Brown's fourth half-century from five championship innings was Hampshire's guiding force.

The compact opener helped his team to within 93 runs of victory, before he became a third lbw victim for Saqlain with 18 overs remaining.

It was down to Ervine (51), Dimitri Mascarenhas and the tail to try to get the hosts over the line - but Saqlain and Jimmy Ormond, bowling his off-spin, had other ideas.

Hampshire, who at one stage must have fancied a three-day victory, suffered a near immediate setback after Surrey closed their second innings on 229 for eight shortly before lunch.

Michael Carberry was gone by the end of the session, caught behind off a good ball from Pedro Collins.

But Brown's under-stated accumulation had already begun and was to last through the afternoon and beyond tea.

Even after Saqlain had broken a 96-run second-wicket stand with Jimmy Adams and then followed up with another lbw verdict against Michael Lumb, Brown was unmoved.

Chris Benham was Saqlain's third wicket, caught behind off an attempted sweep, but Ervine helped Brown add another 46 at the required tempo before the latter finally fell, back in his crease to the Pakistani off-spinner.

In light regularly threatening to deteriorate to an unacceptable level, Butcher had forsaken his pace bowlers on a pitch which had favoured them for three days but seemed to have lost its life.

Ervine, who had earlier taken four for 42 with his medium-pace, hinted at a match-clinching all-round performance with some neat timing and effective running between the wickets in a 59-ball innings which contained only two boundaries.

But when the Zimbabwean thumped a full toss from Ormond straight into the hands of extra-cover, the match was still there to be won, lost, tied or drawn.

Mascarenhas proved his renowned capability as a big hitter with a six out of the ground over midwicket off Saqlain, only to mis-sweep high to deep backward-square to depart to the very next ball.

Greg Lamb made it clear Hampshire still had an eye for victory, with another six off Saqlain.

But when he was eighth out, lbw trying to reverse-sweep Ormond, the only question remaining was whether the hosts could hold out - which they did, with Tremlett defying his back spasms to keep Surrey at bay.

Hampshire had not begun the final day auspiciously, as Surrey tailenders Matt Nicholson (73) and Ormond (64no) each completed unlikely 50s in the first hour.

Nicholson and Ormond - who yesterday rescued Surrey from a hapless 75 for seven - extended their stand to 140, the former augmenting his first-innings 40 not out.

In Tremlett's continued absence, Hampshire appeared to have no answer as the eighth-wicket pair scored quickly - having resumed on an overnight 151.

There was little to lift the mood in home ranks as Hampshire not only struggled to find a breakthrough but also leaked runs.

Mascarenhas found it hard to raise a smile.

But the Hampshire captain could be forgiven some frustration when Nicholson mis-pulled him so badly that the ball fell just behind him, in the bowling crease as he followed through.

From the next delivery, Nicholson's timing was again off - but he still counted his fourth four with a faulty hook down to fine leg to bring up his 80-ball half-century.

Ormond followed the Australian to the milestone and went on to a career-best - just after Nicholson had finally gone, to an upper-cut to third man off Ervine.

Butcher called time shortly afterwards, thereby setting up the tensest of finishes with an expert declaration.