Holland Impresses As Hampshire Claim Dominant Draw

Ian Holland took five wickets on a flat wicket as Hampshire claimed a dominant draw in their Specsavers County Championship clash against Surrey at the Kia Oval.

Holland (3-37) took three wickets in the space of six overs to help wrap up the Surrey innings, dismissing the hosts for 483 before the follow-on was enforced.

The seamer (2-16) then took a further two wickets in the second innings, but Surrey ended the day on 166-3 before the play’s shook hands and brought an early end to this tie.

Surrey resumed the day on 410-7, and both Kyle Abbott and Fidel Edwards continued to bowl with discipline, with the hosts adding just ten runs in the opening seven overs.

Tom Curran (53) moved his half-century, but just as his stand with Burns approached three figures, his stumps were re-arranged by a beautiful delivery from Holland as Surrey moved onto 447-8.

The seamer then produced an even better ball moments later to dismiss Amar Virdi (4), as the ball nipped off the seam and ripped the tail-ender’s off-stump out of the ground to leave Surrey 46 runs short of the follow-on total.

Burns was still at the crease, and he reached his double-hundred, surpassing his career-best score in the process as the Surrey captain tried to keep as much as the strike as possible.

Surrey edged closer towards the follow-on target on 499 runs, as Burns carefully chose when to score runs and when to protect Mark Footitt.

However, the tail-ender was dismissed as he clipped Holland straight to Gareth Berg with Surrey being dismissed for 483 and the seamer picking up his third wicket in quick succession.

Burns remained unbeaten on 219, and after being out on the field for every minute of the game, he returned to the crease with George Bailey enforcing the follow-on.

Gareth Berg and Abbott bowled with control in the few overs before lunch, as the Surrey batsmen were fortunate that a couple of outside edges fell just short of the slip cordon.

Burns and Stoneman came out with intent in the afternoon session, smashing 22 runs in Edwards’ opening two overs as they raced to their fifty partnership in the 12^th over.

Hampshire regularly rotated their bowlers, but to no reward as the Surrey batsmen continued to show resistance, with Burns moving onto his half-century as Surrey progressed to 77-0.

The pair eased the hosts into three figures and despite their best efforts, the Hampshire bowlers toiled away on a flat wicket in the capital.

Holland was effective in the first innings, and broke the partnership in the very first over of his spell, trapping Stoneman (47) in front to leave Surrey on 109-1.

The seamer then took his fifth wicket of the day just two balls later, getting a ball to seam back in to dismiss Scott Borthwick (0), who offered no shot and could only watch the ball smash onto his stumps.

Burns and Jason Roy steadied the ship and guided their side to 126-2 at the interval.

Surrey opener Burns (68) had been on the Kia Oval outfield for every minute of the game, but his mammoth stay at the crease was brought to an end when he was stumped by Lewis McManus off the bowling of Sean Ervine (1-24).

This gave Hampshire a glimmer of hope to force a result, but Dominic Sibley (12) and Roy (37) played cautiously to prevent any further damage.

They guided the hosts into the lead, and the players shook hands afterwards as the game ended in a draw.

Hampshire next turn their attention to the shortest format of the game, when they travel to Glamorgan in the first game of the 2017 NatWest T20 Blast tomorrow.