HAMPSHIRE V SURREY at Utilita Bowl (RCC)
25-27 SEPTEMBER 2025

The final round brings eighth up against second. Last week's epic encounter at the Oval saw Notts come out on top, just. Consequently, Surrey's grip on the County Championship in recent years looks likely to be brought to an end - temporarily, one hopes.

The match was a great advert for county cricket, but crucial to the outcome was getting a full day's play on an opening day that saw no other first-class cricket anywhere else in the country. Apparently, it was the first time that's happened in the championship since June 1968, when Essex and Middlesex played a full day at Southend while the other seven matches were washed out.

The weather certainly did Hampshire a favour at Taunton, where the visitors were 201-8 following-on - still 81 runs shy of making Somerset bat again - when the curtain came down. Coupled with a points deduction for preparing a sub-standard pitch (for Sussex's visit in May) they now find themselves eighth in the Division One table, hovering above the drop-zone.

A major frustration this season must have been Hampshire's lack of production with the bat. Only Ben Brown (732 runs at 45.75) and Liam Dawson (536 at 44.66) have made over 360 championship runs at an average in excess of thirty.

Kyle Abbott (48 victims at 22.08 runs apiece) and James Fuller (30 at 30.10) have led the way with the ball, supported by Brad Wheal (21 at 34.33), Sonny Baker (19 at 36.10) and slow left-armer Dawson (21 at 40.04). But India's Washington Sundar is on board for this one, as spinning all-rounder.

Surrey v Hampshire - First-Class Records Sheet

If he plays, Ralphie Albert will be making his first-class debut. Dan Lawrence (7,936) is approaching 8,000 f-c career runs. Turning to Hampshire... Toby Albert (902), James Fuller (2,938), Fletcha Middleton (1,890), Felix Organ (1,969) and Washington Sundar (1,954) are all in line for significant runs landmarks in first-class cricket. Sundar also needs 8 wickets for 100 in f-c.

Indian leg-spinner Rahul Chahar, 26, looks set to make his county debut and, conscious, perhaps, that spin was a big factor when these sides met at the Utilita Bowl last year, 17-year-old Ralphie Albert and 22-year-old Yousef Majid are also named in the visitors' squad. Gus Atkinson, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Ollie Pope and Jamie Smith are all unavailable, plus Jordan Clark remains sidelined by illness.

With the threat of relegation hanging over Hampshire, there's every expectation the wicket at Southampton will have something in it for the bowlers. So, with the weather unlikely to be a factor (if the forecasters are to be believed), everything points to a positive outcome for one side or the other. Prediction - too close to call. I'd like to be more committal, but Surrey haven't beaten Hampshire in their own backyard since 2018.

A.Orr, F.Middleton, N.Gubbins, T.Albert, L.Dawson, F.Organ, B.Brown (capt, wk), W.Sundar, J.Fuller, K.Abbott and S.Baker.

TBC.

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