New Zealand Academy's commanding position after the first day of its game against Tamil Nadu Districts at Chennai yesterday was vital to the team's hopes of maintaining competition against top level sides.

The New Zealanders are playing in the knockout MRF Buchi Babu Invitation Tournament, a traditional early season invitation event in India. After the first day's play there were well placed having dismissed Tamil Nadu Districts for 159. NZ Academy was 34-1 at stumps.

NZ Academy spin bowlers Bruce Martin and Aaron Redmond picked up three wickets each. Martin bowled 17.2 overs to take 3-26 while Redmond, who bowled only seven first-class overs on the tour of England earlier in the year, took 3-43 from his 15 overs.

Central Districts all-rounder Jacob Oram bowled 10 overs to take 2-21.

In the 15 overs until stumps, NZ Academy lost only James Marshall's wicket while scoring 34 runs. Michael Papps was unbeaten on 13 and Jarrod Englefield on 12.

Originally, a tournament for teams in the Chennai region, the Buchi Babu tournament was expanded to an invitation competition in 1967/68, and this year 14 teams, including some of India's top cricketers are playing.

But for NZ Academy to get maximum exposure to a high level of cricket, it has to win games, or at least take first innings honours in drawn games, to stay in the tournament.

If it gets knocked out, NZ Academy would be required to find opponents among other losing teams while also fitting in games against the Indian National Cricket Academy team which is also taking part in the tournament.

Last year's tournament winner Karnataka CA and the runner-up Hyderabad CA both have entries straight into the quarterfinals.

Quarter-finals are to be played from August 24-26, the semi-finals from August 28-30 and the final is from September 1-3.

© CricInfo