Burns, Clark centuries give Surrey the upper hand

Report

Hosts took first-innings lead of 208 when they were bowled out for 359 on stroke of tea

Rory Burns on his way to a century  •  Getty Images for Surrey CCC

Hampshire 151 and 31 for 2 (Gubbins 6*, Vince 4*) trail Surrey 359 (Burns 113, Clark 106*) by 177 runs

Hundreds in contrasting styles by skipper Rory Burns and Jordan Clark put champions Surrey in control against Hampshire at the Kia Oval.

Burns’ seven-hour 113 – his 25th first-class century but first since July 2022 – laid strong foundations and Clark built on them with a run-a-ball unbeaten 106 as Surrey took a first-innings lead of 208 when they were bowled out for 359 on the stroke of tea.

Hampshire lost openers Ali Orr and Fletcha Middleton in successive overs before bad light and rain took 20 overs off the day’s allocation. Hampshire will resume on 31 for 2, trailing by 177.

Burns led Surrey to their second successive Championship last year despite, by his high standards, a relatively modest contribution with the bat of 631 runs at 27.43. He had seen four team-mates depart at the other end to leave Surrey 44 for 4 replying to Hampshire’s 151.

But having helped tilt the balance Surrey’s way by adding 75 with Ryan Patel, he made sure they didn’t squander their advantage on day two.

The pitch had lost a bit of zip but Hampshire’s seam attack – and in particular the outstanding Mohammad Abbas – still asked plenty of questions with their probling lengths and judicious use of the short ball.

Burns found an unlikely ally in nightwatchman Kemar Roach with whom he patiently put on 66 in the morning session. They had to negotiate testing opening spells from Kyle Abbott and Abbas, and Burns would have been run out had Orr, running in from cover, hit the stumps with Burns, who was on 55, stranded well short of his ground.

Sub fielder Ian Holland couldn’t quite hold on diving one-handed to his right at mid-off to reprieve Roach on 12 and Roach celebrated by clipping the 86th delivery he faced through mid-wicket for his only boundary.

Brad Wheal broke the stand when Roach (19) drove expansively at his outswinger, but Cam Steel helped Burns take the lead past 150, upper-cutting Abbott for six over backward point to get off the mark before Abbott had him caught behind in the third over after lunch.

The luckless Abbas – who finished with 1 for 43 from 28 overs – looked ruefully to the heavens when Tom Prest dropped Clark at slip on 16 and how the all-rounder made Hampshire pay, first by helping Burns put on 98 in 19 overs.

Burns did a superb job blunting Abbas and Abbott in particular and was ruthless with anything loose. He tucked his 236th ball into the leg side for the single which took him to his first hundred at the Oval in two years and by then Clark had begun to plunder a wilting attack. He struck nine fours in a 53-ball fifty and then greeted Liam Dawson’s belated arrival by launching the left-arm spinner’s third ball over mid-wicket for six.

Burns’ 424-minute marathon finally ended on 113 (256 balls) when he tried to up the tempo with a reverse-sweep off Dawson. He departed to a standing ovation and in the next over Abbott uprooted Gus Atkinson’s middle stump, but Worrall hung around long enough for Clark to complete his fourth first-class hundred and third for Surrey, off 101 balls with 12 fours and a six.

Roach and Worrall then emphasised Surrey’s control by each taking a wicket with the new ball. Worrall’s yorker-length was too good for Orr and Middleton was caught at second slip nibbling at one from Roach that did just enough off the seam.