The sheer pace of Tino Best and the methodical bowling of Ryan McLaren helped Hampshire enjoy their finest day of the season to take control against Nottinghamshire, who closed on 99 for five and trail by 171 runs.
Hampshire’s attack is in poor shape. Those fit are playing but the situation worsened here when Sean Ervine left the field with a lump on his hand, after trying to complete a run-out at the end of his fourth over. Reece Topley’s broken hand is not progressing as hoped and he is expected to be out for some weeks more – perhaps including England’s white-ball fixtures against Sri Lanka. Yet Best and McLaren proved enough of a handful for a laboured Nottinghamshire batting line-up.
Earlier the Hampshire left-hander Tom Alsop had made a composed and elegant 72, the 20-year-old’s maiden Championship half-century. He had lost Ervine early, bowled by a hooping delivery from Luke Fletcher, but kept plugging away, driving with class and pulling well, before becoming one of four late wickets to fall to Harry Gurney, who made the ball swing and lift viciously. Mason Crane and James Tomlinson swung hard to share 35 in 47 minutes for the bowling side, lifting Hampshire to 270, which looks a decent score on a pitch full of life.
Then it was Best’s turn. He opened the bowling with two untidy deliveries down the legside but, when Steven Mullaney edged the third through the gully region, McLaren sprung to his left to take a magnificent catch. Not long afterwards Michael Lumb, in all sorts of trouble against Best, set off for a tight single and Michael Carberry’s direct hit from backward point dismissed Jake Libby, who was guilty of lazy running.
After tea McLaren came to the fore. With his first ball of a new spell he induced Lumb, looking increasingly at ease with brutal cuts and drives, to edge to first slip before having Brendan Taylor caught behind with a beauty. Then Samit Patel edged to second slip and McLaren finished this spell with figures of 7-2-15-3.
In the face of some short stuff from Best Riki Wessels and Chris Read battened down the hatches and made it to stumps. They return on Tuesday without Jake Ball, who set off on the 320 miles to Durham to join England, but with Brett Hutton, a bowler whose batting is considerably better than Ball’s. They may yet need it.
Elsewhere in Division One Sam Robson continued his spectacular Lord’s run glut, making an unbeaten 67, with his partner Nick Gubbins on 65, as Middlesex reached the close on 139 without loss to cap a fine fightback against Somerset. Robson was dropped twice after passing 50 – by Peter Trego, who earlier made 65, and Marcus Trescothick – but looked in fine order, cutting strongly and flicking attractively through midwicket. Earlier Tim Murtagh took five Somerset wickets as they lost 157 for eight having been 219 for two overnight.
An Alviro Petersen century drove Lancashire to 342 for nine – a lead of 151 – over Surrey at Old Trafford. Surrey had fought back well after the hosts had been 99 without loss, taking three for 16, but Petersen and Steven Croft shared a stand of 148 for the fourth wicket before Petersen was caught behind bottom-edging a ball from Stuart Meaker – playing his first match since July last year due to a series of injuries. That was in the same over he had reached his century by flicking his 104th ball through mid-wicket for four. From here Surrey fought back once more, taking six for 68, with Meaker taking three for 59 and the indefatigable Tom Curran three for 64.
