Key events
WICKET! Topley c Lehman b Abbott 1 (Surrey 421 all out)
Snaffled at third slip and Surrey have rather shrivelled, losing six for 31. Still, it means they get to stalk Hampshire tonight before the rain sweeps in.
I really better write up now.
WICKET! Lawrence c Organ b Baker 218 (Surrey 418-9)
Well bowled Sonny Baker! With nine men on the boundary, Lawrence resists temptation. Then Hampshire bring the fielders in, Lawrence squeezes four and then tries to go over the top to the last ball of the over and is caught by a backpeddling Organ. The crowd rise and Hampshire’s players, including Baker, chase Lawrence to pat him on the back as he walks away. An awesome innings, a privilege to watch it.
Surrey, meanwhile, have lost 5 for 28.
I’ve looked up to find the new ball scything through Surrey – two in an over for Abbott, Surrey 410-8, Lawrence still there on 214.
Enter Tom Curran for his first Championship inning of the year and time for me to write up for the paper. Will pop back later, below the line remains open.
WICKET! Sam Curran c Orr b Organ 20 (Surrey 390-5)
Curran swivels and tries to flambé Organ for six legside but doesn’t get enough welly on it and is caught by a sprinting, diving Orr.
A couple of hundred miles north, another man overlooked by England, Liam Livingstone, has added to his 81 against Glamorgan with three for 13 in four overs including a wicket maiden.
200 for Dan Lawrence!
At the site of his first first-class 100 in April 2015, when he was just a teenager, Lawrence rocks to his first 200 with an inside out drive over extra cover. The ground rises – a pure, utterly dominating innings – 29 fours, five sixes off just 172 balls.
A fantastic stat from Richard Spiller on the back of Dan Lawrence’s county cap – it is only 30 years ago that Surrey got rid of a capped and uncapped dressing room, when David Gilbert came in as cricket manager and demanded the wall was knocked down between the two rooms.
WICKET! Pope c Brown b Baker 74 (Surrey 353-4)
The tireless Baker leaps and punches the air, Pope swivels for the hook and tickles the ball through to Ben Brown. The end of a highly entertaining partnership of 255 with Lawrence, a new record for the fourth wicket for Surrey against Hampshire.
And in between all that, a third batting point for Surrey.
A career best score for Dan Lawrence
Strides outside off stump, carelessly flicks Abbot for six over square leg. Now 182 not out.
Evening session
And so it continues. Lawrence, off the front foot, clatters Abbott high over long off for six, drives four more through mid off where a sprawled Fuller nudges the ball over the rope. At 171 not out Lawrence now has his highest score of the season. A career best of 178 dangles tantalisingly.
Andy Bull on that Lord’s pitch:
Dan Lawrence is given his Surrey county cap
You don’t get one for turning up at The Oval. Dan Lawrence is presented with his county cap as he comes off the field for tea with a rollicking 150 under his arm and 2150 runs for Surrey in the bank.
Lawrence 150! Tea- Surrey 304-3
Tea: Surrey 304-3 (Lawrence 150, Pope 68) Up races the 200 partnership between Lawrence and Pope in 190 balls, then the Surrey 300 and the Lawrence 150 in just 138 balls. He raises his bat to the dressing room, then round the ground. In this mood, he feels unstoppable.
Women’s Blast update
Maia Bouchier’s 87 spearheaded Hampshire’s 155-4, Essex are 60-3 chasing, with eight and a bit overs left.
Glamorgan stumbled to 91 for eight after 20 overs, and Kent are motoring in reply, 33-0 off just six overs.
now
An afternoon sigh of delight from The Oval crowd as Pope off drives Potgieter for four more.
And now Lawrence picks Prest for consecutive fours as he races towards 150 and Surrey towards 300. Tea approaches.
Men’s Blast update after one innings
Four wickets for Hassan Ali and one for Moeen Ali restrict Leicestershire to 147 for eight against Yorkshire
Fifties for George Musney and Jack Haynes have put Notts in a decent spot against Derbyshire, 142-4 with four overs left.
Livi’s 81 took Lancs to 200-7 against Glamorgan; Gloucestershire struggled to just 148-8 v Worcestershire; Somerset are 60-2 with 12 overs left against Warwickshire; three wickets for Sean Hunt and Tymal Mills restricted Kent to 133-8 against Sussex. Essex are 48-2 after eight overs against Middlesex
Liam Livingstone’s six-hitting extravaganza at Stanley Park is over, caught for 81 off 37 balls – three fours, eight sixes. Lancs 190-6 with five balls to go.
Fifty for Ollie Pope!
A weary Abbot looks at his boots as Pope drives him , just legside of the stumps for his half century, off 66 balls. A shot that purred to the rope.
And bang – Lawrence lofts Organ straight back over his head into the pavilion for six.
100 for Dan Lawrence!
A swotted sweep brings an standing ovation for Lawrence for a stunning century – 99 balls, 18 fours, two sixes. He gets a hug and a pat from Ollie Pope and enthusiastic applause from the balcony for his fourth hundred of the summer – every time he has passed fifty, he has gone on to three figures. Cracking innings and cranking up the pace of the game in the face of a dreadful forecast for the next three day.
A Hampshire fielder forlornly chases a drive from Pope as it accelerates to the boundary. Pope (48) and Lawrence (95) racing for milestones.
Organ switches ends and is much more parsimonious this time around, leaking just four runs. the Lawrence-Pope hundred partnership comes up in just 92 balls. And now Lawrence cracks Fuller straight down the ground for four, perfectly perpendicular. He grins a happy grin as he chats to Pope.
Cricket pitch preparation is becoming more and more hindered by the rapidly changing climate, as acknowledged by the MCC here, “The unusually hot and dry weather during May, followed by wetter conditions in the lead-up to the match, presented a number of challenges in preparing the pitch.”
and Surrey’s Lee Fortis, speaking to Richard Spiller in April. “We’ve been praying for a bit of rain. The easterly wind and dry days don’t make it especially easy and you can see the way the climate is changing. The westerly winds which bring the April showers seem to be replaced more and more now by these easterlies which we should be getting in Feburary and March.”
MCC statement “we are natuarally frustrated when a surface falls short of expectations”
MCC Chief Executive and Secretary, Rob Lawson, said: “We recognise that the pitch for this Test has shown more variable bounce than we would have wanted. We hold ourselves to the highest standards and are naturally frustrated when a surface falls short of those expectations.
“MCC invests significantly each year in the preparation of the main square at Lord’s, as well as in research, technology and expertise aimed at producing pitches that provide a fair and consistent contest between bat and ball. The unusually hot and dry weather during May, followed by wetter conditions in the lead-up to the match, presented a number of challenges in preparing the pitch.
“However, we fully recognise the need to act quickly. We will remain fully focused on applying all aspects of pitch development and improvement as outlined in our recently published MCC Cricket Strategy 2026-29.”
No respite for Hampshire, as Lawrence now cuts Fuller for four.
Felix Organ is whipped out of the attack by Ben Brown after one expensive over, and James Fuller is called back into action. Surrey 187-3.
An email from a happy Charlie Dunmore, who messaged the OBO on Friday from Geneva airport worried that the weather would ruin his kids’ first experience of cricket.
“After the intervention of the weather yesterday, our 4th day Lord’s tickets paid off and my kids got to see England wrap things up with the ball this morning for their first taste of live cricket. As I already had tickets for the Oval as a backup plan, we hopped on the tube and they are now enjoying a couple of England old boys making hay with the bat. I’m counting this as a rare parenting win.”
Happy days! Lots to enjoy as Dan Lawrence ping-pongs Felix Organ’s first over for 19 runs. Down on one knee, two legside sweeps for four, six over mid on.
Fifty for Dan Lawrence! Five penalty runs for Surrey
Lawrence slides gracefully across his stumps and drives Potgieter with a glorious crunch for four. Eye in, he then tips him legside for four more to bring up a run-a-ball handsome fifty. Lawrence dabs the final delivery back to Potgieter who hurls the ball at the stumps in a moment of fury and gets an ooooooh from the crowd. Surrey are then awarded five penalty runs. Not sure Potgieter was aiming at Lawrence, but it was a flash of temper.
Blast Fixtures
Men
Bristol: Gloucestershire v Worcestershire Rapids
Taunton: Somerset v Warwickshire Beats (3.30pm start)
Stanley Park: Lancashire Lightning v Glamorgan
Grace Road: Leicestershire Foxes v Yorkshire
Trent Bridge: Notts Outlaws v Derbyshire Falcons (3pm start)
Hove: Sussex Sharks v Kent Spitfires
Merchant Taylors’ School: Middlesex v Essex (3.30pm start)
Women
Chelmsford: Essex v Hampshire Hawks
Newport: Glamorgan v Kent
Blast Results
Women
The Blaze (135-9) BEAT Lancashire Thunder (120) by 15 runs
Somerset (126-5) BEAT Warwickshire Bears (123-8) by five wickets
Gloucs (102-3) BEAT Worcestershire Rapids (101-6) by seven wickets
Leicestershire Foxes (108-7) BEAT Northamptonshire Steelbacks (109-5) by five wickets
Middlesex (154-3) BEAT Derbyshire Falcons (90-9) by 64 runs
Sonny Baker returns from the pavilion end and Lawrence shovels his last ball down to third man for four. Surrey, 130-3, starting to loosen the shackles.
After picking up four through the slips, Ollie Pope trills four off Fuller, legside, gorgeous shot. And now a wild play and miss.And an even better flick off his boots to the midwicket boundary to finish the over. Apparently Pope averages 90 against Hampshire, the county against whom he has scored the most runs.
WICKET! Sibley lbw Fuller 39 (Surrey 98-3)
No century for Sibley today– slips, bowler and umpire in agreement that he was hit right in front of his stumps by Fuller. He slopes off and there is warm applause for Surrey’s favourite son, England’s discarded (for now) Ollie Pope.
As well as this game, and the now-finished Test at Lord’s, there is lots of cricket around the grounds.
England Lions are again faltering against South Africa A, this time in the second one-day match at New Road. Caleb Falconer (45) is the only man out of the twenties in England’s 166-7 in 41 overs.
At Kibworth, the Disability Premier League is back, with the Black Cats, Pirates Hawks and Tridents fighting for dominance, and there are seven mens and seven womens Blast games – some underway, others due to start at 2.30pm
Afternoon session
A very tasty vegetarian curry for lunch. Hundreds of people scattered over the outfield during the interval, including a tiny tot in a Wimbledon cap who smacked his dad into the stands for six. Surrey and Hants have now resumed, Lawrence cutting Kyle Abbott’s first post-lunch ball to the boundary with a mellifluous crack.
Five pound entry at The Oval for any Lord’s Test ticket holders
Any ticket holders from the Lord’s Test can continue their day of cricket at The Oval, where they will be able to get in for just a fiver. (Gary Naylor, they heard you!)
Ticket holders can direct message the Club’s social media channels with proof of their day four ticket to obtain a code, or they can turn up to The Oval ticket office.
Lunch – Surrey 85-2
Lunch: Surrey 85-2 (Lawrence 15, Sibley 35) Abbott finishes the morning with a corker that beats the studious Sibley. Honours fairly even and time for something to eat.
England beat New Zealand by 115 runs
All over at Lord’s, where Gus Atkinson has finished with 5-30, New Zealand bowled out for 138. At least the bad weather allowed this game to trickle into day three. Shame about the pitch.
Tim de Lisle is here with the last rites.
Fuller gets one to lift and pass the outside edge of the groping Sibley. And the next springs awkwardly off the pitch. Lawrence comes down from the non-striker’s end to prod the offending bit of grass down.
Finally have enough charge on my computer to sit outside, where the grass looks even greener and there is a gentle pre-prandial buzz around the ground. Abbott bounds in for his eighth over of the morning – I’m a big fan of whatever fitness regeime he’s on. Surrey 79 for two with 15 mins left till lunch.
Dan Lawrence marches in and trips his second ball for four, and next over Sibley glances a wayward Baker for another.
WICKET! Jacks c Organ b Potgieter 10 (Surrey 53-2)
A second wicket of the morning for Potgieter, as Jacks launches into a full ball and is caught at point by Organ, with arms high over his head
Sibley is looking solidly Sibleyish, trolling any bowler who strays onto his pads by sending the ball singing to the boundary. Now 19 not out.
Division One table
1 Nottinghamshire P6 W2 L0 D4 91 points
2 Warwickshire P6 W2 L1 D3 86 points
3 Glamorgan P6 W2 L1 D3 83 points
4 Essex P6 W3 L2 D1 80 points
5 Sussex P6 W3 L1 D2 79 points
6 Somerset P6 W2 L2 D2 79 points
7 Surrey P6 W1 L1 D4 71 points
8 Yorkshire P6 W2 L2 D2 71 points
9 Leicestershire P6 W0 L4 D2 46 points
10 Hampshire P6 W1 L4 D1 40 points
Surrey injury roll-call
The reason for this unusual-looking Surrey side, apart from IPL returnees and England call-ups, is a roll-call of injuries: Sean Abbott (hamstring, picked up in a Blast game), Lawes (ankle, Blast ), Worrall (knee) and Ben Foakes (tors0), still out of action after bowling two overs at the fag end of that dull draw against Essex in April.
Lancashire charged with breaching pitch regulations
The match officials who stood in Lancashire’s low-scoring Championship game against Middlesex in early May reported the pitch as “below average.” Lancs have therefore been charged with breaching pitch regulation and matters have been referred to the Cricket Discipline Panel.
Visa issues for Chahar
Surrey were hoping to play Indian legspinner Rahul Chahar, who signed for the last eight Championship games of the season, but he’s been delayed by visa issues.
Will Jacks is batting at No. 3 for Surrey in his first Championship outing this summer after a period with Mumbai Indians in the IPL. In England’s winter Ashes stumble down the stairs, Jacks collected 363 runs and took six wickets in his four games.
WICKET! Burns b Potgeiter 14 (Surrey 27-1)
Burns prods obediently forward and the ball skits through the gate and sends the off stump tumbling
Good morning Gary Naylor.
“An idea. The Oval’s marketing team hardly need advice from the likes of me, but they should think about getting an announcement out here at Lord’s that tells the (very decent) crowd that their tickets will be accepted for free admission for Surrey vs Hampshire just a few Tube stops away. There’s only so many ducks to feed in Regent’s Park after all.”
I like it! Will pass it on if I can find anyone.
The wicket is very green, spearmint surrounded by peppermint on all sides, and behind the slips the pavilion is filling up nicely. Music from the church service on the next floor up reverberates through the press box.
2nd over: Surrey 3-0 (Burns 2, Sibley 1) Love Baker’s enthusiasm, strides back after every ball like a boy in a desperate hurry but who has been shouted at not to run down the corridor. Gets a couple to spray up aggressively.
1st over: Surrey 3-0 (Burns 2, Sibley0) Four slips for Kyle Abbott under cloudy Oval skies. Just two from the first over, and Sonny Baker now marches to his mark, released by England to play in this game.
The teams are walking out here at The Oval, and at Lord’s where Tim de Lisle is at the tiller of the OBO.
Did a round of the ground and spotted groundsman Lee Fortis talking to Alec Stewart out in the middle. Fortis, standing in his size 20 boots and on his tree-trunk legs, made Stewart look like a little boy doing up his tuck box as his neatly packed away the Surrey equipment, checking the straps for tightness and tucking in every corner.
Hampshire have won the toss and will bowl
Surrey: Burns, Sibley, Lawrnece, Pope, Jacks, Curran S, Curran T, Clark, Fisher, Taylor, Topley
Hampshire: Albert, Gubbins, Orr, Lehmann, Prest, Brown, Potgieter, Organ, Fuller, Abbott, Baker.
Preamble
Good morning and welcome to The Oval. Hampshire have arrived for a rogue one-off match, out of step with the rest of the Championship, which restarts properly on Friday, and tickled into place because of fixture congestion.
The two teams play keepy-uppy at opposite ends of the ground, the groundstaff hammer a pitch and brush dust into a wheelbarrow and someone bats in the nets to a coach with a dog thrower.
There aren’t many people here yet, lots on the train were obviously on their way to Lord’s, where the weather, as here, looks better today. I don’t think we’ve done a one-off game since the Bob Willis Trophy Finals of 2020 and 2021, so I’ll try and dig around for interesting stories on top of the cricket – do point some my way.
Play starts at 11am, there are plenty of chairs on the patio.