Surrey’s hopes of building on an impressive first day’s work against Hampshire were thwarted by the rain at The Kia Oval.

Only 24.4 overs across two periods of play were possible on day two which ended with Hampshire 122-3 in reply to Surrey’s 421, trailing by 299.

Play got underway at 1.45pm and the hundreds of youngsters visiting the ground as part of Surrey’s popular Schools Day did get to cheer two wickets in the 59 minutes that were possible.

When they returned for a further 11.2 overs at 6pm Nick Gubbins fell to Jordan Clark for 51, but Jake Lehmann and nightwatch Sonny Baker got through to stumps in the best batting conditions of the day.

The highlight of the first mini-session was some fine bowling by Matt Fisher, who picked up Toby Albert and Ali Orr in an impressive spell before the rain returned.

Hampshire had resumed on 17-0 but batting was a hazardous occupation with lavish sideways movement and the floodlights on and Fisher, from the Vauxhall End, took full advantage.

After taking the total to 30, Albert (16) had little chance keeping out a good-length ball which pitched on middle and jagged away to hit the top of his off stump.

Orr, making his first Championship appearance of the season, was then unsettled by a delivery that swung back sharply from Fisher and a thick inside edge looped up to mid-wicket where Tom Curran took an easy catch.

When play resumed more than three hours later Gubbins and Lehmann extended their third-wicket stand to 58 and played positively, although a sharp chance off Gubbins was put down on 33 at slip by Rory Burns off Clark.

Gubbins loves batting at The Kia Oval and lodged his eighth fifty there, three of which he has converted into a hundred.

But any hope of making it four ended with the next ball which Clark speared into his pads to win an lbw verdict and earn Surrey a first bowling bonus point.

Bottom of the table Hampshire still need 150 to avoid the follow-on and Surrey will be encouraged by a much drier forecast for the last two days as they look for their second Championship win of the season.