Surrey 253 (Sibley 100*, Wheal 4-65) and 136 for 1 (Pope 56*, Sibley 55*) lead Hampshire 219 (Prest 44, Gubbins 43, Worrall 3-37) by 170 runs
You can get caught out on Saturdays like these at the Kia Oval.
The sun shines scorchingly bright to start, enticing you to take it easy, as you lounge through the opening hours without a care in the world. And then, without warning or even a goodbye, it ducks out leaving you exposed to the chill, scrabbling for the security of layers to cover up that newly acquired farmers' tan.
Of course, many of the 4,132 who started their weekend here will have been wise to all that, taking jumpers and nothing for granted. But 11 not included in that tally - who all happened to be donning a Rose and Crown crest - were given a stark reminder of how sharply things can shift against you on an April day in south London, even when the odds had started in your favour.
At about 12.04pm, Hampshire were coasting at 84 for 1, Mark Stoneman and Nick Gubbins steady and unperturbed, even if they were still 169 behind Surrey's first innings. By 6.26pm, when the floodlights were doing too much of the illuminating, the visitors were now trailing by 170, Surrey's second innings not just going, but flying.
Over six hours of play, and Hampshire were more or less back where they had begun, with far less control. If anything sums up the kind of folly the County Championship can occasionally throw up, this was it. But there were no cricketing gods to curse, and not even the early lure of the sun could be blamed. The lack of progress was very much on Hampshire.
Their confusingly slow morning of 42 runs in 29 overs played into Surrey's hands, particularly given a wicketless first half of day two's opening session. Then came a collapse of three for six that laid waste to Hampshire's drudgery, as unnecessary as it may have been. The error of their ways was eventually shoved all the way down their throats by a 36-over evening session in which Dom Sibley and Ollie Pope skipped along to half-centuries with Surrey closing on 136 for 1.
The risk of Hampshire's impasse was clear for all to see. This is a Surrey attack that does not let up. Even Matthew Fisher, freshly down south, got in on the squeeze, straddling midday with an impressive six-over spell - four of them maidens - that went for just seven runs, occasionally beating the edge of both Stoneman and Gubbins.
It was while Fisher was operating from the Vauxhall End that Dan Lawrence profited in front of the Micky Stewart Members' Pavilion. Gubbins inexplicably guided a delivery from wide on the crease around the corner to leg slip, having survived an appeal for an identical dismissal the ball before.
Gubbins' misjudgement turned the focus on the preceding 64 minutes, in which he and Stoneman added just 29 runs. Three overs later, Stoneman had been trapped in front by a suitably rested Dan Worrall, tagging back in for Fisher, before a torturous 1 off 27 from Toby Albert was ended by Jordan Clark to make it 90 for 4.
With the top four back in the changing-room, and the innings moored, the onus was back on Tom Prest to take the initiative, as he had done last week with 57 in the successful chase against Yorkshire. A flashed edge over third slip ahead of the lunch break - Hampshire's first boundary in 26 overs - at least hinted at impetus to come after the interval.
The 22-year-old ended the first over of the afternoon session with back-to-back straight drives for four. And when Dawson responded with successive fours of his own - driven through cover, then flicked around the corner - Hampshire had already bettered the morning boundary count (three) in the space of six deliveries.
Greater ambition came with greater risk, of course, though Dawson felt aggrieved when given out lbw, seemingly certain of an inside-edge. However contentious, it was a deserved first wicket at the Kia Oval for Fisher. Skipper Ben Brown followed him back not long after with a nine-ball duck that included a life when Sibley shelled a simple chase at first slip.
It was from this point that Prest was backed up by Brett Hampton for the best part of 10 overs. The New Zealander was happy to play the aggressor, swinging his huge forearms at anything and everything in his half, bringing about one novel boundary in front of square leg when he was aiming for cover.
The only plus point for Hampshire was their first innings seemed in terminal decline when Hampton and Prest were seen off in the space of 11 deliveries, particularly given the modes. The former squeezed out a Clark inducker between bat and pad, stifling the ensuing lbw appeal, but inadvertently sending the ball towards Pope at first slip. England's vice-captain broke forward and flung himself low to complete the catch. Prest, having negotiated the best part of Worrall's bumper spell against him, aimed a lazy flinch at one that did not get up as much and found Ryan Patel at short leg for 44.
Then came Abbott's late dash to 37, 13 of them taken off Fisher's 16th and final over, as a short-ball ploy was met with three step-away-and-carves through the off side, which also happened to be the shorter hit. By the time Abbott was done - bowled by Lawrence defending down the wrong line - Hampshire had closed the first-innings gap to 34.
With a bumper 42-session to come after tea, there was an opportunity for wickets to turn this match into a second-innings shootout. But Abbott was the only bowler to register a dismissal, nailing Rory Burns in front, only after he and Sibley had brought up 56 between them in the 13th over. Having carried his bat the day before, Sibley went on, for another 55 unbeaten runs, with the only point of alarm coming when he almost ran himself out on 47.
Pope best exemplified the shifting scenario, contorting it further with a breezy half-century brought up with consecutive sixes off Sonny Baker - the first carved over point, the second uppercut over third. No other side have been as chastened by Pope's shot-making as Hampshire, and this was a ninth fifty-plus score against them in 11 first-class matches against them.
They had kept him quiet in five previous innings, including seeing him off for 14 on Friday. But his average against them has ticked back up to 96.30, and it is not unreasonable to expect that to be higher by the time he and Surrey finish batting.
Few sides are quite so ruthless as the defending champions when in such a commanding position. And while Hampshire will learn from how this match has been switched upon them by their own apprehensive approach, maybe they should have been wiser given how relentless their opponents have been over the last three years.
