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5 hours ago
9
Key events
A better showing by England A today, reducing SA to 129-6 after 26 overs. Three wickets for James Coles, two to Rehan Ahmed.
Potgieter is down on the turf getting treated after being hit on the chest (I think) by Clark. He winces, looks curiously down his own shirt and has a slurp from his water bottle. The physio prods his ribs – yes, all there. We resume, Hampshire 173-6.
Brown b Clark 7 (Hampshire 173-6)
One of those ill -advised leaves that were all the rage in the Test. A cracking ball, nips in and barrels into off stump. A Hampshire banker gone.
Clark zips in – Brown is watchful. Five dots then a single. Oh dear, the cameras spot the groundsmen walking with purpose around the ground towards the covers.
Afternoon session
272 is the magic number for Hampshire. Lehmann and Brown are the men who will need to get them there. Jordan Clark and a headbanded James Taylor take the first overs after lunch. A delicious on drive for four by Brown, who follows up with a stylish one-kneed drive.
Lunch: Hampshire 165-5 (Lehman 50) (Brown 1) trail Surrey by 256 runs
Just 14 overs possible this morning as everyone trails in for lunch. Lehmann reaches an excellent fifty with a jogged single, off 75 balls with eight fours, but he will need Brown to stick around after losing Prest this morning. Hampshire another 107 to avoid the follow-on. Time to grab a sandwich, back soon.
WICKET! Prest c Burns b Clark 19 (Hampshire 163-5)
Clark’s turn for a hearty appeal, this time lbw, on a good line, angling the ball into Prest – but too high. But next delivery he has his man as Prest tries to leave an away swinger – as he goes to pull his ball above his head, he gets a tickle - which just reaches Rory Burns in sun hat at first slip.
Topley thinks he’s got Lehmann caught behind and does an elaborate high-stepping appeal but no-one else has any interest and he has to chug back to his mark unrewarded. We play on.
Transfer news: Kent have signed Bangladesh fast bowler Hasan Mahmud for six Championship games – starting at Blackpool on Friday. He becomes only the second Bangladesh player to play county cricket, and the first to play for Kent.
Jordan Clark now, tatooed arms and pony tail, Lehmann slightly front on fiddles his bat up and down and hooks him to the rope . The rest of the balls are dots. Hants 154-4.
Restart at 12.45
Flood lights are on but fingers crossed.
Rain stops play, Hampshire 150-4 (Lehmann 40, Prest 17)
Lehmann dismisses Fisher for four with a regal march, Fisher fights back, beating the outside edge, then the rain once more starts to sheet across The Oval.
Fisher, so dangerous yesterday, on the money straight away from the Vauxhall end. Hampshire desperately need the other 143 runs necessary to avoid the follow-on .
Play!
Lehmann and Prest in the middle; Topley, leaping up and down at the top of his mark, to finish his over. And the sun is out.
Just realised I’ve been watching the covers on day two on the stream. No wonder it all looked so familiar. Play is actually about to start at The Oval!
There are also four Women’s WC warm-up games today:
Scotland v Pakistan; Ireland v Bangladesh and later this afternoon Netherlands v Sri Lanka and South Africa v New Zealand.
A reminder that the competition proper starts tomorrow at Edgbaston when England play India.
England Lions and South Africa A are playing again today in a 50-over game. So far the tourists are undefeated, beating England Lions by eight wickets in the first unofficial Test, eight wickets in the second Test, 10 wickets in the first 50-over game, and nine wickets in the second.
SA won the toss at New Road, are having a bat, and are 21-0 after four overs.
I’m now looking at the pictures on the Surrey livestream. I don’t think it is raining any more, and there are groundsmen walking about, but the covers are very definitely still on. The flags on top of the pavilion are blowing though, so hopefully some nice blue sky will arrive soon.
Five new cricket domes to be built
The government has announced £3m of funding, to be matched by the ECB, to build five all-weather cricket domes in areas currently without those facilities: Birmingham, Bolton, Derby, Newcastle and Nottingham.
The domes will be cricket-led but will support a range of sports and activities to keep people active. There are already three ECB-funded domes – in Willehall, Bradford and Darwen, Lancashire, with two more due to open in Luton and Faringdon.
Rain
I’m afraid we are re-running the story of day two. It is raining at The Oval. The covers are on.
And Simon Burnton on the latest nightclub shenanigans from England’s men’s team.
"The Capsey Massive will be there for sure"
Raf talks to Alice Capsey, who has just nailed down her place in time for the World Cup to begin on Thursday.
Preamble
Hello and welcome to day three of this one-off match between Surrey and Hampshire. Rain ruined much of yesterday but the forecast looks more perky for today. Do join us for that and to chew over events at the Rex Rooms on Sunday night.
