Surrey’s Hashim Amla was the undisputed hero of the County Championship on Wednesday, not because of the number of runs he scored, but the character he showed – a throwback to his glittering Test career.

The 38-year-old might have scored just 37*, but he faced 278 balls lasting the entire day at the Rose Bowl. His innings was the foundation for Surrey managing a draw with Hampshire, they ended on 122-8, in what was an exciting finish.

Amla’s patience and grit meant the Hampshire bowlers, including Kyle Abbott (1-19), toiled away but Amla’s defence was impenetrable.

Elsewhere, the County Championship’s leading run-scorer, David Bedingham, extended his lead at the top of the charts with another outstanding innings of 92*. Unfortunately, the weather did not play its part and cut the match short so Bedingham could not reach his fourth century of the season.

In Hove, Colin Ingram got 27 in Glamorgan’s pursuit of their 275-run target. For Kent, Heino Kuhn scored 21 which was only a slight improvement on his duck in the first innings.