Dan Lawrence scored an exhilarating maiden double-hundred as Surrey, put in by Hampshire, took early control of their Rothesay County Championship meeting at the Kia Oval.

Lawrence’s 218 from only 190 balls, in Surrey’s 421 all out, featured five sixes and 31 fours and his strokeplay was a magnificent mix of touch and power.

At stumps Hampshire were 17 without loss in reply, from 5.2 overs, grateful that a further scheduled 5.4 overs were lost to bad light.

The partnership of 255 in just 37 overs between Lawrence and Ollie Pope, taking the game away from a wilting attack, was a Surrey fourth wicket first-class record against Hampshire.

Pope made an excellent 76, from 103 balls and with 12 fours, before being suckered into a hook at Sonny Baker, bowling a spell of short stuff from around the wicket, and gloving through to keeper Ben Brown.

Sam Curran briefly flickered with four fours in 20 before being caught in the deep off Felix Organ, whose offbreaks were earlier dealt with brutally by Lawrence, who had plundered 19 from his opening over.

Lawrence reached his 100 from 99 balls, with a swept four in Organ’s second spell, and received his county cap on the outfield at the tea interval from Surrey director of cricket Alec Stewart, in front of his team-mates.

At the time he was on 150 not out, from 139 balls, and it was important for Surrey that Lawrence continued to bat on beyond his double-hundred after Pope’s dismissal was followed by the exits of both Curran brothers – with Tom leg-before to Delano Potgieter for just 1.

Indeed, Surrey’s innings fell away somewhat as none of the lower order could stay with Lawrence for long and he was eventually ninth out, caught at mid-on trying to hit Kyle Abbott over the top.

By then Lawrence had also lost Jordan Clark to the second new ball, which was taken at 409 for 6, and Abbott then quickly removed Matt Fisher, also caught behind for a duck, later in the same over. The innings ended when last man Reece Topley was held at third slip off Abbott.

Overall, however, it was rich entertainment for an opening day crowd of almost 5000 that included a post-lunch influx of more than 250 ticket-holders from England’s just-finished Test against New Zealand at Lord’s, who all gained entry by paying just £5 alongside the presentation of their Test match tickets.

Put in on a vivid green, well-grassed surface, Surrey’s top order initially had to fight hard against a Hampshire seam attack led by the ever-skilful veteran Abbott and boosted by the release of Baker from England’s Test squad.

It was the introduction of the relatively unheralded Potgieter, however, which brought Hampshire almost immediate reward when he nipped one through Rory Burns’s defences with his second ball to bowl Surrey’s captain for 14.

Potgieter, a 29-year-old South African seamer who later cost Hampshire five penalty runs with over-aggressive behaviour, had replaced Baker at the Vauxhall End after a four-over new ball burst by the young paceman, and he struck again in his fifth over when a distraught Will Jacks sliced a wide and very full delivery to point off the bottom corner of his bat.

Jacks made only 10 in his first red-ball innings of the season but Lawrence then helped Dom Sibley to add a further 45 for the third wicket either side of lunch.

James Fuller ended Sibley’s 102-ball vigil, leg before for 39 to the last ball of the 32nd over, before Lawrence and Pope thrillingly seized the day for Surrey.