Wood impresses as Hampshire go top

Hampshire 127 for 3 beat Surrey 126 for 6 by seven wickets
Scorecard

Unbeaten Hampshire returned to the top of the South Group in the Friends Life t20 following a comfortable seven-wicket victory over Surrey at The Oval.

Sean Ervine, who made a run-a-ball 28, and Liam Dawson, who finished with an unbeaten 24, added 37 in seven overs to see Hampshire home with 10 deliveries to spare after Surrey could only muster 126 for 6.

Having elected to bat first, Surrey lost all momentum after Jason Roy was bowled for 22 in the third over. Roy pulled the second ball of the match for six and two overs later the 22-year-old reverse-swept another maximum before Dimitri Mascarenhas broke through his defences.

The hosts then lost three wickets in the space of nine balls, starting when Ricky Ponting, who was awarded his Surrey cap before the start of play, chipped Chris Wood to extra cover.

Mascarenhas struck again when Steven Davies fell to a leading edge, which looped to mid-off, and Azhar Mahmood was caught in front of slip by Michael Bates off Wood to make it 44 for 4.

Gary Wilson and Zafar Ansari added 47 in 10 overs before Wood, looking directly into the sun, pulled off a superb catch at deep backward square leg off Danny Briggs to see the back of Ansari for 29. Surrey's misery continued when Wilson holed out to long-on for 28 in the following over.

Hampshire conceded their first boundary in 75 deliveries when Kevin O'Brien, making his Surrey debut, pulled Wood for four in the 18th over. O'Brien, who hit an unbeaten 16, pulled the last ball of the Surrey innings for six to leave Hampshire needing just 127 to maintain their unbeaten run in this season's competition.

In reply, Hampshire lost James Vince in the fourth over when he was bowled for 14, playing across the line against Mahmood. Michael Carberry pulled Jade Dernbach over deep fine-leg for six before cutting the next delivery for four.

Mahmood, who bowled straight through his four-over allocation prior to hobbling off with an injury, picked up the wicket of Carberry for 25 when O'Brien held on to a swirling catch at long-off.

Jimmy Adams, who top scored on a low-key night with 30, was beaten by Ansari's direct hit from deep midwicket, though not before Ervine had pulled Zander de Bruyn for six in the 11th over.

Without needing to take any risks, Ervine and Dawson hit just one further boundary apiece as they reeled in the modest target.