Cricket: Cumming thrives on new bowling attack

Wellington captain Jason Wells was struggling to put a good face on the predicament he found himself in on the first day of the Shell Trophy cricket match against Canterbury at the Basin Reserve.

There were hopes that Wellington would have at least one of their three injured fast-medium bowlers, Carl Bulfin, Richard Petrie and Robert Kennedy, fit enough to play on a pitch tailor-made for them.

In the end none of them made it, and Wells found himself with three bowlers making their first-class debuts, Leigh Kelly, David Little and Lee Edwards.

Having won the toss, Wellington put Canterbury in on a damp pitch but failed to capitalise on that.

At lunch Canterbury were 100 for one, and by stumps 334 for three in their first innings with opening batsman Craig Cumming unbeaten on 139.

"It was pretty hard. When you have one guy making their debut you can nurse them along but when it's three it's tough," Wells said.

Wells used eight bowlers, including himself, in a largely fruitless search to secure an advantage. The pitch took spin, and Wells said in hindsight it may have been better to have selected leg-spinner Lance Dry.

Cumming, hitting his first century for Canterbury, and captain Gary Stead, who scored 96 from just 134 balls before being caught behind, added 157 in 152 minutes for the third wicket, which turned the tide Canterbury's way. Cumming has so far batted for 389 minutes and hit 20 boundaries. - NZPA