Hampshire 116-4 need 356 runs to beat Surrey at The Oval

OLLIE Pope and Amar Virdi, two of Surrey’s exciting crop of young talent, grabbed centre stage at the Kia Oval to put their team within sight of a crushing Specsavers County Championship victory against Hampshire.

Twenty-year-old Pope’s brilliant 145, his second century in just his 12th first-class innings, allowed Surrey to declare their second innings at 407 for 9, setting Hampshire an improbable 472 to win this Division One contest.

By stumps, with bad light ending play 4.1 overs early, they were 116 for 4 with Sam Northeast on 14 and Rilee Rossouw on 19.

That was largely the result of 19-year old off spinner Virdi producing the third day’s most dramatic moments when, in the space of five balls in his fourth over, the 31st of the innings, he dismissed both Hashim Amla and James Vince – each time greeting umpire Richard Illingworth’s upholding of leg-before appeals by wheeling away into the outfield in celebration, followed by his equally delighted teammates.

Virdi’s double-wicket burst cut short a promising partnership of 54 between Amla and Vince and, surely, snuffed out any hope Hampshire had of either reaching their distant target or batting out the final day for a draw.

Amla, having moved serenely to 21, was beaten by a ball which crept through low while Vince, who had played some characteristically regal offside strokes in his 33, went back to a ball which turned and was caught in front of his stumps.

Suddenly, from 83 for 2, Hampshire were 84 for 4 and, having beaten Worcestershire in their first match of the new campaign last week, are facing defeat tomorrow.

Hampshire head coach Craig White said: "It was a difficult day. We planned to take early wickets and perhaps restrict them to setting us a high-300s chase but we didn't get it right with the ball. But take nothing away from the way Ollie Pope batted. He looks a fine prospect."