Do not expect the last day of Hampshire’s LV= County Championship match against Somerset to rival England’s ICC World Twenty20 semi-final for entertainment.

Hampshire should avoid defeat for the first time this season, but they are heading for a dull stalemate against their fellow strugglers.

If nothing else, at least a Rose Bowl draw will ensure Hampshire avoid two unwanted records.

Defeat against Somerset would mean the county’s worst-ever start to a season in the County Championship and in all cricket.

But they should avoid a seventh successive loss in all competitions and a fifth on the bounce in the Championship, despite taking only four wickets on the penultimate day of their latest match.

Somerset closed on 441-6, 71 runs behind Hampshire’s 512, after beginning the third day on 104-2. David Griffiths was the pick of the Hampshire attack, taking three more wickets to finish the day with 4 for 94.

But there was little encouragement for the bowlers on a placid surface. Hampshire captain Nic Pothas said: “If we were playing on the same wicket we were on against Notts last week we would have a chance but there is no spin, bounce or seam.

“The balls hasn’t really swung for either team and the spinners haven’t been in the game either.”

Hampshire drew five of their seven Championship games at the Rose Bowl last season, due largely to slow, low wickets.

“Last year the wickets scuffed up a bit more but after three days there is still hardly any rough,” continued Pothas.

“There’s no chance of getting any reverse swing either because the ground is so lush at the moment.”

Hampshire and Somerset will not manufacture a run chase with so much at stake at the foot of the first division.

"We can’t afford to let Somerset get too far away from us,” admitted Pothas.

Griffiths gave Hampshire hope when he uprooted Zander de Bruyn’s off stump in the eighth over of the morning, but that was the only wicket to fall before lunch.

It needed a bizarre mix-up between James Hildreth and Nick Compton for the latter to be run out in the second over of the afternoon session.

Griffiths' direct hit from mid-off failed to dismiss Hildreth, but confusion over whether to go for a second saw Compton stranded when the ball deflected to Liam Dawson at square leg.

Neil McKenzie dropped Hildreth on 57 at slip to deny Dawson a wicket after the slow left-armer was asked to bowl for the first time this season in the Championship.

Hildreth, who was out for 99 against Lancashire last week, went on to make 106 - his first century since his 155 against Hampsire at Taunton last July - before upper cutting a Griffiths bouncer to James Tomlinson on the third-man boundary.

Another Griffiths short ball did for Peter Trego (35), who top edged a pull to Pothas.

But Jos Buttler made his maiden first-class century in only his fourth match.

He reached it by late cutting his England Under-19 teammate James Vince for his 11th four and was 105* at the close.

Hampshire bowling: Cork 20-7-50-0, Tomlinson 28-6-84-0, Griffiths 25-2-94-4, Ervine 11-2-32-0, Herath 32-8-81-1, Dawson 13-0-52-0, Carberry 3-0-19-0, Vince 1-0-9-0