Mark Ramprakash became the 62nd player to pass 30,000 first-class runs as Surrey batsmen dominated on day one at the Rose Bowl.

When the game got underway at 11.30am the sun was shining, but that did not last long as heavy cloud covered the Rose Bowl and Hampshire may have been happy to see the ball swing after being asked to bowl by Surrey captain Mark Butcher. However, Daren Powell failed to control the new ball and offered plenty of width for Scott Newman to latch on to. The Surrey left-hander again looked in good touch and was playing positively. He hit four fours and was on 24 when Powell got a ball in a good area and found a little extra bounce. Newman played back and edged the ball onto his thigh pad to give Michael Brown a catch at short-leg, the score on 36.

Jonathan Batty and Mark Ramprakash were both watchful and took their time to settle in against some consistent, but not threatening, bowling from James Bruce. The pitch was not offering as much as the seamers would have liked and Surrey’s decision was looking like a good one. Ramprakash eventually got into his stride by twice launching Sean Ervine’s medium pace straight down the ground, with one going for six in the last over before lunch.

Ramprakash navigated a lively, but again erratic spell form Powell immediately after lunch. He kept his concentration and struck a brilliantly controlled hook shot for four all along the ground. It was 30 minutes after lunch when Ramprakash cut Shaun Udal to the cover boundary for four to pass 30,000 first-class career runs, the 62nd man to achieve this feat. Five minutes later he reached 50. Ramprakash spoke to Surrey TV after reaching his milestone.

Jonathan Batty was playing the holding role that Surrey have lacked on occasions this year. He patiently batted for three and a half hours before driving Udal for four to reach his fifty, the sixth time he has done so this year. Batty eventually went to Udal for 55 after putting on a stand of 145 with Ramprakash for the second wicket.

Ramprakash continued in his usual style punishing anything off line, but respecting the accurate bowling of Bruce, who still managed to extract enough movement from the pitch to make batting a difficult task. Ramprakash did manage to take 16 off one David Griffiths over, with boundaries through the covers, fine-leg and a deftly guide to third-man. He was joined by his captain, Butcher, and together they took the score to 203 at tea, Ramprakash left on 98 at the interval.

The day belonged to Ramprakash as he completed his seventh century of the summer and the 94th of his career. He reached his hundred in 169 balls when he cut Ervine, now bowling leg-spin, to the boundary. Butcher watched Ervine’s bowling with pleasure as it demonstrated the Rose Bowl pitch would take spin and with Harbhajan Singh and Chris Schofield in the side means a big first innings total will be crucial. Butcher reached his own fifty before the close as Hampshire took the new ball and allowed the boundaries to flow. An early close came as bad light descended over the Rose Bowl.

Click here to see highlights of an excellent first day for Surrey at the Rose Bowl on Surrey TV

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