HAMPSHIRE all-rounder Liam Dawson admitted "average batting" was to blame for the loss of 16 wickets on day two at The Ageas Bowl.

Dawson took 4-22, his best first-class figures for five years, as Hampshire bowled Surrey out for 200 before the home side collapsed to 31-5 in reply.

George Bailey and Ian Holland's seventh-wicket stand of 69 kept Hampshire in the game before the home side's captain was lbw to the last ball of the day's penultimate over. 

The flurry of wickets certainly made up for the loss of 91 overs to rain on day one. 

“The game moved forward quickly but saying that this isn’t a wicket where 16 wickets should have fallen on day two," said Dawson.

“There was some pretty average batting. With the new ball the wicket can be quite hard work but after that it is a normal Ageas Bowl pitch.

“The bowlers got their tails up and batters make some mistakes and you are five and six down for not many runs.
“That happened to them and to us."

Dawson, Hampshire's first-choice spinner in the absence of Mason Crane, said: “I had a little bit of luck where the ball went to the fielders. It was one of those days where everything seemed to go for me.

“We're a little behind the game, but if we can eke our way up to their score then it could be an exciting day four."

Dawson made his first breakthrough before the visitors collapsed from 109-3, losing their last seven wickets for 91 runs.

The stand was ended when Foakes attempted to pull Dawson but was caught by Vince at mid-wicket.

Soon after lunch teenager Ollie Pope came down the track before picking out Bailey at mid-wicket.

Left-hander Ryan Patel, who was dropped on 31 and 58, reached 81 in only his second first-class match before he was beaten for pace by a spectacular Fidel Edwards inswinger.

Rikki Clarke and Tom Curran also lost their off stump before Dawson completed the innings by having Gareth Batty lbw and Jade Dernbach caught and bowled.

Hampshire were reduced to 31-5 in the 11th of their reply.

Joe Weatherley was bowled by an away-swinging yorker on his home Championship debut and Tom Alsop, Jimmy Adams and James Vince were trapped lbw, Adams to a ball that appeared to pitch outside leg stump.

Hampshire were 31-5 when a spectacular catch by Foakes, diving to his left, gave Curran the wicket of Sean Ervine. But after Dawson clipped to mid-wicket, Bailey and Holland gave Hampshire hope of erasing the deficit.

SURREY
RJ Burns c Vince b Abbott 12
R Patel b Edwards 81
SG Borthwick lbw b Edwards 0
JJ Roy lbw b Abbott 0
BT Foakes † c Vince b Dawson 47
OJ Pope c Bailey b Dawson 13
R Clarke b Edwards 12
TK Curran b Berg 12
GJ Batty (c) lbw b Dawson 2
SC Meaker not out 3
JW Dernbach c & b Dawson 5
Extras 13 (b 4, lb 7, nb 2)
TOTAL 200 all out (65.4 Overs)
     BOWLING: FH Edwards 16-1-70-3, KJ Abbott 13-3-31-2, GK Berg 12-5-34-1, IG Holland 9-3-32-0, LA Dawson 15.4-9-22-4
     Fall of wickets:1-25 (RJ Burns, 7.3 ov), 2-34 (SG Borthwick, 10.5 ov), 3-35 (JJ Roy, 11.5 ov), 4-109 (BT Foakes, 31.5 ov), 5-163 (OJ Pope, 51.1 ov), 6-171 (R Patel, 54.1 ov), 7-180 (R Clarke, 56.3 ov), 8-183 (GJ Batty, 57.4 ov), 9-193 (TK Curran, 62.1 ov), 10-200 (JW Dernbach, 65.4 ov)