Hampshire openers Jimmy Adams and Liam Dawson navigated a tough morning to give the hosts a good start on Day One at the Ageas Bowl. Stand-in Middlesex skipper James Franklin stuck the home side in after winning the toss in bright yet seam friendly conditions.
And despite the constant oohs and aahs from behind the wicket Adams and Dawson steered through the bowler friendly environment with relative easy – putting on 85 for the first wicket.
Middlesex should have had a breakthrough in the third over but not due to the excessive sideways movement, as Toby Roland-Jones failed to find the proverbial empty net with Adams well short of making his ground. The half century stand – brought up with a marvellous Dawson straight drive boundary – came in the 14th over and marked a testing yet successful opening hour.
Dawson looked set for maiden half century for the season but once again had a lapse in concentration after making a solid base – pushing medium pacer Neil Dexter behind for a well-worked 36. Adams – returning after missing last week’s debacle at Yorkshire for the birth of his second son – reached 34 at lunch, joined ably by Michael Carberry.
