Hampshire have played three championship fixtures at the Rose Bowl so far this summer and have been victorious each time. Mind you, we're only talking about Gloucestershire, Middlesex and Glamorgan. Significantly, Shane Warne has won the toss and elected to bat on each occasion. Curiously, the last time the toss-winning captain chose to bowl first in a Surrey-Hampshire championship clash was way back in September 1991. The good news for Surrey is that Kevin Pietersen is on England duty and there's still no sign of all-rounder Dimitri Mascarenhas getting over his back problems. However, wicketkeeper Nic Pothas is set to return for Hampshire after missing the Kent match at Canterbury and the last two one-day games with a broken finger. The main dangers with the bat will be Kiwi Craig McMillan, who makes his second appearance in place of Australia's Simon Katich. There's also John Crawley, who has made 1,023 championship runs at an average of 48.71 - including two hundreds - against Surrey during his career, plus up-and-coming opener Michael Brown. The bowling is Hampshire's stronger suit by some distance. Chris Tremlett, who is set to make his 48th first-class appearance yet his first against the Oval outfit, currently heads their championship averages with 35 wickets at an average of 19.25. Shane Warne has also claimed the same number of victims, but at a slightly higher cost, plus Taylor and Udal have had their moments. But Shaun Udal will care to forget that the 28 Surrey wickets he has taken over his career have come at an average of 47.78 runs apiece. I'll leave this thought with you - Hampshire are currently the 7/2 second favourites to win this year's championship title whereas the odds-setters have Surrey in fifth place in the betting at 17/2. Now, let's just say the Ovalites win this contest - what would happen to the prices then? Chances are Surrey and Hampshire would trade those prices. On that basis if you still think, like Steve Rixon, that it's Surrey for the champo, this has got to be the optimal time to take a punt. Those with approaching milestones include Jonathan Batty who has nine first-class hundreds, needs one catch for 300 for Surrey and if he has a catch or stumping in Hampshire's first innings will break his own Surrey record of 20 successive innings with at least one dismissal. Mohammad Akram needs 6 wickets for 350 career wickets, Martin Bicknell has 99 first-class catches, Rikki Clarke needs 2 wickets for fifty for Surrey and, finally, Graham Thorpe has 49 first-class centuries and needs 86 runs for 1,000 against Hampshire in first-class cricket.
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