Surrey enter the final day of their Championship match against Hampshire trailing by 309 runs and with their Division One status in real jeopardy.

Replying to Hampshire's first-innings 480-8 declared, Surrey lost three early wickets when play got under way after lengthy rain delays.

Scott Newman (58) and Mark Ramprakash (55 not out) gave their side hope.

But spinner Imran Tahir took three late wickets to leave Surrey on 171-7, needing 160 to avoid the follow-on.

Earlier, Hampshire declared on their overnight total and once Surrey lost Matthew Spriegel in the fourth over of the day, the hosts were always on the back foot.

The 21-year-old drove loosely at an outswinger from Dimitri Mascarenhas and edged to Nic Pothas behind the stumps for a duck.

The dismissal of Spriegel brought in Ramprakash who survived an early caught-behind appeal.

Newman looked to dominate an attack led by England's Chris Tremlett, who saw the left-hander continually steer the ball through or over the slip cordon and down to the boundary.

He quickly moved to his half century, having faced only 59 balls and including 10 boundaries, the last of which was a glorious cover drive off Mascarenhas.

However, when he had reached 58, and with the score on 78-1 in the 22nd over, he smashed the ball straight to Michael Brown at cover.

Just two balls later, Jonathan Batty went for a quick single into the covers and was run out without scoring, beaten by a direct throw from 20 yards from former team-mate, Michael Carberry.

Together with Ramprakash, Usman Afzaal steadied the innings as the pair pushed the score past three figures, but in the 41st over with the score on 123, Afzaal was beaten by James Tomlinson and trapped leg-before for 20.

Alex Tudor, promoted above James Benning in the order, did not last long as he became the third batsman to fall without scoring.

He was deceived by the spin of Tahir and trapped in front of his stumps before Ramprakash completed another 50 but then lost Benning, clean bowled by Tahir.

The 29-year-old Pakistani then saw Saqlain Mushtaq steer to Sean Ervine at leg gully for one to give him figures of 3-23.