OXFORDSHIRE shaded day one of their Western Division clash against an impressive Dorset attack at Great & Little Tew.

The hosts were 258-5 when bad light stopped play at 7.10pm and will hope to get close to 300 today in the remaining seven overs of their first innings.

Half-centuries from Nathan Hawkes (79) and Craig Haupt (59) underpinned Oxon’s total, while Dorset fielded two Somerset-contracted bowlers in Steffan Jones and Max Waller.

There had also been talk of the visitors giving former England seamer Andrew Caddick a game in order to improve his fitness, but that didn’t materialise.

The past 48 hours’ rain had left prospects of play bleak at the beginning of the day, but a great effort from the groundstaff ensured the pitch was ready for a delayed start at 2pm.

Dorset won the toss and elected to field despite the sun now shining.

With no obvious partner for Chris Sandbach, captain Ian Hawtin stepped up to open the batting.

But he lasted just five balls before being bowled by Jones.

Sandbach and Haupt had to weather some excellent Dorset bowling, with paceman Jones, in particular, catching the eye.

One of Jones’s bouncers caught Haupt with a glancing blow to the helmet, but this seemed to spur him on, rather than rattle him.

Haupt passed 50 with a pulled four, and Sandbach looked solid at the other end.

However, some sloppy running and a direct hit from Waller, who has played Twenty20 cricket for Somerset this season, saw Sandbach trudging back to the pavilion.

Minutes later, Haupt was caught superbly by Nick Park at cover and the pendulum swung again.

Spinners Waller and Tom Hicks, the Dorset captain, kept things tight.

Hawkes was positive from the outset, although he was lucky to be dropped by Mitch Wilson at deep square leg after mis-hitting a sweep.

Richard West struggled on his debut, making just four off 47 balls before being bowled in the over after tea.

Hawkes was not afraid to take on the Dorset attack, smashing several excellent boundaries, but he eventually mis-timed a pull off Jones and was caught at point.

That brought Jack Taylor in for his debut on his home ground, and he immediately looked assured.

With Shahbaz Ali showing some good touches at the other end, the pair steered Oxon to the close without drama.

Leg-spinner Waller (2-64) finished with Dorset’s best figures after bowling with plenty of fizz.