LONDON, CMC – Ex-West Indies speedster Fidel Edwards continued his impressive start to the county season for Hampshire, grabbing four wickets to hurt Surrey on the opening day of their County Championship contest here yesterday.
Opting to bat first at the Oval, Surrey were dismissed for 211 with Edwards finishing with four for 38 from 11 overs and left-arm spinner Liam Dawson claiming four for 30. sAt the close, Surrey had reduced the visitors to 52 for three, however, leaving them 159 runs adrift of first innings lead.
Surrey found themselves in early trouble when Edwards struck two key blows in a electric new-ball burst, to leave the hosts on 23 for two in the sixth over of the morning.
Bowling from the Vauxhall End, the 36-year-old claimed Test batsman Mark Stoneman lbw for four in the second over and returned to claim Scott Borthwick for five, also via the lbw route.
Captain and opener Rory Burns, the joint top-scorer with 46, added 87 for the third wicket with South African Dean Elgar (44), to revive the innings.
Edwards returned to get the breakthrough when he removed Burns and Elgar followed 16 balls later to leave Surrey on 114 for four.
Ben Foakes (46) and Ollie Pope (34) propped up the innings in a 73-run, fifth wicket partnership before Edwards and Dawson combined to send the last six wickets tumbling for 24 runs in the space of 54 balls.
In reply, Hampshire were cruising at 37 without loss but lost quick wickets as veteran seamer Rikki Clarke snatched two for 14.
