On a truly dramatic final day at the Oval, Surrey's Ian Salisbury and Azhar Mahmood very nearly carried their side to a record-breaking victory. Never before in the County Championship has a target of 503 been chased down successfully and the most the Brown Caps have ever made batting fourth is 478. But after joining forces with the total on 283-7, the pair shaved the requirement to 40 off ten overs by setting a new first-class record for their county's eighth wicket against Hampshire. However, with Mahmood then departing to a superb return catch by James Tomlinson and Shane Warne having Salisbury stumped in the very next over for a career best 103, the home side's thoughts of victory suddenly turned back to survival. Nayan Doshi and Mohammad Akram were unable to see out the final seven overs, though, and the visitors opened their 2007 championship account with a nail-biting win that was overshadowed by Shaun Udal suffering a suspected broken ankle shortly after the umpires signalled the start of the final hour.

Warne's destructive spell on the third morning had set-up Hampshire's victory, but it also owed much to Udal, who picked up the crucial wicket of Mark Ramprakash on the third evening, to which the 38-year-old yesterday added the scalps of the steadfast Jonathan Batty and equally dogged Mark Butcher shortly after lunch.

Following the early departure of nightwatchman, Jimmy Ormond - for a 44-ball "pair" - Batty, who recorded his thirteenth first-class hundred, and Butcher stood firm for 46 overs. Occasionally, the Surrey wicketkeeper came out of his shell to slog sweep; as he did when he launched Udal for six in the fifteenth over of the day. Either side Butcher survived two difficult chances at short leg, but the pair dined with the Brown Caps on 220-3.

Nine overs after the break, Batty's resistance was ended by a lifting delivery from Udal, who, six overs later, had the Surrey skipper caught at silly point. Alistair Brown, who batted positively without being reckless, then edged a turning ball from Warne into the gloves of Nic Pothas behind the stumps. When Rikki Clarke capped a match he will care to forget by spooning a catch to point off Udal, it looked as though the contest would be over by tea.

However, the taking of the second passed without incident and six overs into the third session Salisbury brought up his half-century in 72 deliveries with his second four of the over off James Bruce. The first indication that the hosts' eighth wicket pair had their eyes on an unlikely win came immediately after the hundred stand was reached in the 118th over.

Mahmood slog swept Udal for six, then cut him for four. Two overs later, the Pakistan all-rounder posted his fifty, which consumed 94 deliveries, with another maximum. With Salisbury hitting the veteran off-spinner straight down the ground for six in the same over, the last hour began with the hosts requiring 77 off sixteen overs.

Salisbury pulled Bruce through mid-wicket for four and then hooked the 27-year-old seamer for six to make the ask 56 off twelve. But in the next over, Udal, fielding off his own bowling, appeared to trip over his own foot and when he came to rest on the ground that was where he remained, clearly in a great deal of distress.

Udal was eventually helped on to a stretcher and taken to hospital, but with Dimitri Mascarehas also off the field with a recurrence of a heel injury, Warne's bowling options were somewhat limited. Tomlinson came to Hampshire's rescue, however, by holding on to a fierce drive from Mahmood, which the left-arm seamer caught off his own bowling at the third attempt on the spin. That opened the door and when Warne tossed one up, Salisbury advanced only to be beaten in the flight. Even though his departure signalled the end of the line for Surrey, the former England leg-spinner walked off to a standing ovation.

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