RORY Burns will lead Surrey into a top-of-the-table clash with Somerset at next week’s Guildford Festival.

The sides are separated by a single point at the summit of Specsavers County Championship Division One, each unbeaten and having won three of their first five matches.

Surrey’s victory over Hampshire by an innings and 58 runs at the Ageas Bowl briefly sent them into the lead, only for Somerset to overtake them after seeing off Nottinghamshire by six wickets.

“We don’t want to flirt with form – we just want to push on and continue,” said Burns, after Hampshire had been defeated with four sessions to spare. And looking forward to the festival fortnight, which starts at Guildford on Wednesday before heading to Scarborough for an encounter with Yorkshire five days later, he added: “The next two games come thick and fast.”

Burns is relishing his first season in charge at the Kia Oval, a commanding 151 rescuing the visitors from the perils of 1-2 in the first over to reach 368 all out. At the heart of the innings was his fourth-wicket partnership of 199 with Ben Foakes (90).

Then the bowlers took command by dismissing Hampshire for 135 and 175 to earn Surrey a double over Hampshire for the first time since 2002 – the last time they were champions.

In the process, Burns became the first player to reach 500 runs this season and pose yet more questions as to why one of the most consistent performers in the country over the past five years continues not to gain even a smidgeon of recognition from England selectors at a time when they are rarer than Thameslink trains.

Dale Steyn, the great South African paceman who is making his comeback through a month with Hampshire, was clearly impressed, reckoning “he looks like a Test batsman,” a true compliment from someone who has bowled to quite a few.

Much attention at the Ageas Bowl was on how Steyn would fare against his old South African colleague Morne Morkel, making his belated Championship debut for Surrey after a serious rib injury.

It was the giant Morkel who came off best, claiming five wickets in the match and giving his new side extra pace and bite. But Rikki Clarke took the honours in Hampshire’s first innings, snatching 5-29 in rushing out the hosts for just 135. Surrey were scarcely more stretched when they enforced the follow-on and despatched them for 175, with three more victims for exciting young off-spinner Amar Virdi.

Having only won twice last year in finishing third, Surrey have already improved on that and would love a fourth to come at Guildford, where they have gone without a victory since 2002. They will have to do it without wicketkeeper Foakes and all-rounder Sam Curran, both called up by England Lions for a one-day series against India A.

An RMT strike on South Western Railway is due to take place on the last three days of the match (June 21-23), but it is not known how much effect it will have on services and an alternative route is via Dorking on Southern and Great Western.