Pitch liaison officer Peter Walker left before the end of an extraordinary day at the Rose Bowl convinced that the pitch had nothing to do with 17 wickets falling in a day for only 200 runs.

Walker cited swing and seam and overcast conditions plus some indeterminate batting for the fact that the batting of both sides collapsed at will.

At the close of the first day it was Hampshire who were marginally the better off at 99 for seven in their first innings in reply to Middlesex's 101 but their own position was hardly healthy.

Middlesex captain Angus Fraser must have wondered what he had done after winning the toss and choosing to bat first.

Take away Andrew Strauss's brave and correct 56 and the rest of the batting offered no resistence, six batsmen failed to get beyond two runs and Stephen Fleming #'s 14 made him second top scorer.

Opener Strauss batted for 49 laborious overs and three hours 20 minutes but without him Middlesex would have been in an even worse state.

Dimitri Mascarenhas took full advantage of the conditions to record a career-best six for 26 after Alex Morris had taken two wickets in his first three overs to undermine the Middlesex batting.

Hampshire found batting no easier when it was their turn, losing their seven wickets for 63 before Adrian Aymes and Shaun Udal began a partial recovery.

As if to atone for his earlier decision, Fraser bowled 22 overs in succession for his three for 34 and then Chad Keegan, making the most of the openings made for him by Fraser, struck in the middle order to finish the day with three for 34.

Aymes, who survived a strong appeal for a catch at the wicket off Fraser, was 22 not out at the delayed close as Udal unbeaten with 17 as Hampshire inched towards a first innings lead.

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