HAMPSHIRE V SURREY at the Rose Bowl (LVCC1), 14-17 MAY 2008

Surrey have enjoyed a good deal of four-day success against Hampshire in recent times. They will also be buoyed by the news that Shane Bond, John Crawley and wicketkeeper Nic Pothas are all of action. However, just when we thought summer had arrived, the forecasters are now telling us to expect precipitation on days two, three and four of this match. Bloody typical. Let's just hope they are as accurate about that as they were about what the weather was going to be like over the recent Early May Bank Holiday.

Three Hampshire batsmen struck hundreds in their most recent championship match, against Somerset at Taunton - Kevin Pietersen, John Crawley and Michael Brown. But with Pietersen on international duty and Crawley out with a side strain, only the under-rated Brown is in the sort of form Surrey will be concerned about. This is partly because Michael Lumb, who is currently averaging 44.00, seems incapable of reaching three figures. Since making 105 against his current employers in July 2006, the former Yorkshire left-hander has passed fifty 13 times without converting.

James Tomlinson, who has taken 14 wickets at 26.64 runs apiece in this summer's LV County Championship, currently leads the way with the ball for Hampshire. With Bond out with a calf injury the hosts will be praying that Chris Tremlett (three wickets at an average of 46.00) can come to the fore four the first time this term. The one piece of good news for the Rose Bowl outfit is that Dimitri Mascarenhas is back from a stint with the IPL league leaders the Rajasthan Royals.

Jonathan Batty needs 56 runs for 7,000 first-class runs for Surrey. Matt Nicholson is 2 wickets away from 400 f-c wickets in total and 3 wickets away from 50 f-c for Surrey. Jimmy Ormond needs 10 wickets for 450 f-c career wickets. Saqlain Mushtaq is 3 wickets shy of 400 f-c wickets for the Brown Caps. However, the milestone that everyone has got an eye on is Mark Ramprakash needing one more championship hundred for 100 first-class career centuries. Ramps's hopes must be high - he has struck two hundreds in his last three f-c innings against the Rose Bowl outfit.

Surrey name the same championship side that took on Sussex at Hove, though Jade Dernbach and Murtaza Hussain will also travel to the Rose Bowl. Chris Schofield, who sustained a fractured left thumb last week, is expected to be out for up to six weeks.

If the weather does take a huge turn for the worse, it is hard to see how a positive result will be possible, given that there are now less than 400 overs available even when there isn't any rain around. If it remains dry, however, you would have to say that Surrey will really fancy their chances.

M Carberry, M Brown, J Adams, M Lumb, C Benham, S Ervine, D Mascarenhas (capt), G Lamb, T Burrows (wk), C Tremlett and J Tomlinson.

Barry Dudleston and Tim Robinson.

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