John Crawley marked his home debut with a fifty as Hampshire fought to avoid the dreaded follow-on against Leicestershire - but only after BEES had stopped play.

Crawley, batting for the first time since making 272 at Kent, could not stop Hampshire slumping to 245-8 at the close - still 34 runs short of the avoiding the follow on.

But the bees provided some bizarre entertainment during the afternoon session.

Nic Pothas, the other home debutant, had just arrived at the crease following Neil Johnson's departure for a duck and, along with the umpires, was one of the few to remain standing when the pitch was invaded.

Crawley and most of the Leicestershire players also lay prostrate before the swarm finally settled on a fence at the pavilion end.

That was only after panic stricken spectators had been forced to evacuate their seats, where the bees had taken a liking to the lager and late lunches on offer.

Play then resumed but Hampshire slumped to 150-5 at tea in response to the visitors' 428 all out.

Will Kendall and Derek Kenway, Hampshire's new opening pair, put on 25 before the latter, who had been dropped in the slips when on one, fell padding up to DeFreitas.

That brought Crawley to the crease and, after Kendall had edged to third slip, he and Smith showed their experience and class in putting on 70 for the third wicket.

Smith was in particularly good form after surviving a couple of sensational deliveries from Charlie Dagnall early on, one of which seamed across the Hampshire skipper, leaving him facing back up the track.

It was an England old boys' reunion at times, with a 39-year-old Devon Malcolm running in at full tilt to Smith and Crawley, albeit at a reduced pace than in his heyday.

Smith cracked square cuts to the boundary with venom whenever Malcolm bowled anything short and he outscored Crawley before falling to the medium pace of Maddy.

It was the square cut, Smith's trademark during his pomp, that proved his undoing, and he departed after mis-timing to backward point, where Carl Crowe took the catch on the run from third man.

Johnson went soon afterwards, trapped leg before by a delivery that Maddy got to cut back - and then those bees entered the fray with Crawley four runs shy of his 50.

He reached it by working Malcolm through mid-wicket but, when he went for 80, Hampshire were left fighting to avoid the follow on

Dimitri Mascarenhas, still struggling with the back pain that reduced him to bowling just four balls, batted with Kendall as his runner.

But, at the close, Hamblin, who was unbeaten on a career best 33, was leading a fightback with Chris Tremlett, and the pair had put on 29 for the ninth wicket.

Tremlett and Alan Mullally had taken two wickets apiece in the morning session to wrap up the Leicestershire innings after the visitors had added 39 runs to their overnight total of 389-6.

Mullally, thanks to second slip Kenway's fourth catch of the innings, accounted for Vince Wells in the third over of the day after the Leicestershire skipper had added a single to his overnight 149.

Then, after DeFreitas had nicked one to Pothas, Tremlett helped to ensure that the Foxes' tail did not wag, taking the wickets of Crowe and Malcolm for the addition of just four runs.