Chris Harris' second century of the season has put Canterbury in a commanding position at the end of the first day of their State Championship contest against Northern Districts in Gisborne.

The visitors are 333 for six, with Harris unbeaten on 103.

ND will be regretting their decision to give Canterbury first use of a greenish pitch when play started an hour late after mopping up operations had been completed.

There was occasional lateral movement, but nothing that posed a great threat to generally disciplined batting from Canterbury. The pitch got flatter as the day went on, but had sufficient pace to enable the batsmen to time the ball well.

Debutant opener Shanan Stewart impressed in the first session. He scored 57 in a relaxed and confident manner. ND 12th man Simon Doull, doubling as summariser on Radio Sport, commented on the way in which Stewart got well forward, the perfect antidote to whatever threat the pitch had to offer.

Stewart was harsh on slow left-armer Bruce Martin, driving him successively for four and six.

Canterbury skipper Gary Stead made 62 in aggressive manner, though he rode his luck offering two chances to Mark Bailey at second slip off Joseph Yovich after lunch.

A criticism of the Canterbury top order would be that too many batsmen got out when established.

At 202 for five, ND had the chance to finish Canterbury off for under 300, justifying the decision to field. The sixth wicket partnership of 104 between Harris and Gareth Hopkins put paid to that.

Harris reached his century with a sweep off Martin. He has received 182 balls and has hit 11 fours and two sixes. It is the eleventh century of his career and during the innings he passed 5000 first-class runs in his career.

The pace of Harris' innings varied according to the quality of the bowling. He was quick to punish anything loose, especially if it was short. He worked more accurate bowling around, rarely allowing the bowlers to settle. His form this season - 366 runs in five innings - suggests that he should not be regarded as solely a one-day specialist.

ND skipper Robbie Hart changed the bowlers around regularly in an attempt to make a decisive breakthrough. Graeme Aldridge was economical. Yovich bowled with pace and suffered from fielding lapses. Scott Styris harnessed the conditions best, finishing the day with 18-6-33-3. Grant Bradburn was unusually expensive. Martin bowled four overs for 31.

The most disappointing was Daryl Tuffey who needed a good day in order to impress the selectors in advance of the first Test in Hamilton next week. He searched unsuccessfully for a consistent line and length and remains plagued by over-stepping problems.

ND coach Bruce Blair remained optimistic at the close of play. He told CricInfo that the decision to put Canterbury in was based more on the form of the bowlers than any expectation of help from the pitch. He praised the performance of Styris and defended the below par performance of Tuffey.

"He's been sitting around in Australia for the past month wihout much cricket under his belt. We've got to get him back into the groove."

Blair was impressed by the performance of Stewart.

"He looked to play positively when the ball was in his zone and he has had a good start to his first-class career."

He sees the emergence of players like Stewart as a vindication of the Academy system.

"The shift to developing fewer players, but of higher quality, has been the way to go."

Blair sees 370 to 380 as par for the course on a good batting surface.

"The onus will be on us to get out there to show the same positiveness and confidence as Canterbury."

If this is to be achieved, ND will have to remove Harris at an early stage. It has been his day, not for the first time this season.

© CricInfo