Cricket: Record knock boosts Cantabs

Some tosses of the coin are worth losing, as Canterbury cricket captain Gary Stead proved in the Shell Trophy match against Auckland in Christchurch yesterday.

Auckland's Blair Pocock called correctly and chose to field - as Stead had planned to - then watched Stead hit 100 and Chris Harris 122 not out to dominate Canterbury's first-day total of 301 for three.

Stead and Harris shared a 183-run partnership for the third wicket, beating a record jointly held by four of Canterbury's finest pre-war batsmen. Alby Roberts and Curly Page established the old mark of 139 in 1929-30, and Frank Bellamy and Walter Hadlee equalled it the next season.

It was a timely performance by Stead, with the New Zealand team again experiencing top-order troubles and selection convener Sir Richard Hadlee looking on.

Not that Pocock, who suffered injury to insult when he damaged a hamstring while bowling, was being blamed for giving his all-seam attack first use of a deceptively greenish-looking pitch.

As Stead said later, "it went sideways a bit" from the start, and there was pace and bounce for Chris Drum and Richard Morgan to make life uncomfortable for him and opening partner Brad Doody.

When Doody and Jarrod Englefield fell in quick succession to Andre Adams the Canterbury innings was at a crossroads.

Stead and Harris guided Canterbury down the right path, increasing the run rate as the Aucklanders wilted on a warm day.

Not that it ever became easy, it just looked that way.

"Although it's a hard pitch you never feel 100 per cent in on it," Stead said.

"There's always one coming through a bit low or nipping a bit, and I think it will continue to do so."

Stead and Harris accumulated their 183 in 200 minutes.

Stead's century was raised in 282 minutes from 218 balls and contained 15 fours.

"I was disappointed to go out at 100, I had my eye on a big one," he said. "Still, if someone had said my first two hits of the season would be an 80 and a hundred I would have taken them."

Harris highlighted his innings with four consecutive leg-side fours off Adams during the second session.

Although he was tied down for a time after Stead's departure, Harris broke free to pass his century in 245 minutes, hitting 15 fours and a six from the 181 deliveries he faced.

By the time he got going again, new partner Michael Papps had also discovered his timing.

Their unbroken fourth-wicket stand has been worth 71 runs.

Auckland's decision not to include a spinner could prove costly.

Lou Vincent, who kept wickets in the last match, was pressed into service at the bowling crease and did well enough to suggest a specialist would have been a valuable asset.

- NZPA