Ben Smith reached his second double century in first-class matches for Central Districts against Canterbury at Pukekura Park today, transforming at one stroke this match and his season.

Smith had scored 32 runs in five previous State Championship innings this season and seemed a player well short of his best form, a player struggling to recover the prolific scoring touch of a season ago when he was Central's batting mainstay.

But as Smith turned around CD's first innings over the past two days, taking them from two for two on his arrival at the crease to a bold declaration at 336/5 - 92 runs behind Canterbury - he also brought to an end his own batting slump.

"It's a mental thing," Smith said after being left 200 not out at Central's teatime declaration, only four runs short of his highest score in first-class matches. "Thirty five runs at [an average of] seven suddenly becomes 235 at 40.

"That's the marvellous thing about the game of cricket. Things can change so suddenly and so completely, even with a single innings. Now I feel confident and comfortable at the crease and I'm ready to get on with the job of scoring runs."

Smith now stands only 54 runs away from 10,000 runs in first-class cricket - a milestone he might yet have the opportunity to surpass in this match.

The onus has fallen on Canterbury to reciprocate Central's imaginative declaration and to foster the possibility of an outright result on the final day of the match tomorrow. Canterbury were 102/4 in their second innings at stumps tonight, leading by 194 runs overall but having lost four important wickets in 31 overs before stumps.

Central have challenged Canterbury to make a declaration tomorrow which will make the last day of 2001 a memorable one for New Plymouth's cricket fans. Judging that declaration will be difficult.

Smith believes Canterbury might leave Central 300 to 320 to score in 70 or 80 overs but Canterbury will have in mind Smith's form and the fact they scored 301 in 80 overs on the game's first day on the way to their first innings of 428.

"I think there's no way after we played as well as that and made a declaration like that that Canterbury won't come to the party," Smith said. "It's in their interests as much as ours to make something out of the last day. For one of us to walk away with six points before we get into the one-day series would really set us up for the second part of the season.

"I think the slow bowlers could play a big part tomorrow but, having said that, there's still a bit for the quicks and all four new balls have done a bit. The consistency of the wicket is tremendous and it was great to bat on."

Smith was aware he was encroaching on his highest first-class score when Central's declaration came today but he calmly accepted the decision to withdraw while that milestone was within range.

"The message came out that we were looking to declare at tea and while I wasn't sure whether things had changed or not I could see the sense in the declaration and I'm happy with my score."

Smith's innings gained in importance because of the background against which it was achieved. Central had lost both openers to lbw decisions when he came to the wicket at five minutes past four last night with his team two wickets down and with only two runs on the board. Central were seven for three when he was joined by his captain Glen Sulzberger.

Smith and Sulzberger put on 175 for the fourth wicket in 181 minutes before Sulzberger was out shortly before 1pm today for 52. He had been 48 not out overnight.

Richard King joined Smith in a fifth-wicket partnership of 88 in 111 minutes and had put on 66 in 61 minutes with Bevan Griggs before the declaration. King made 28, Griggs was left 23 not out and all of the Central wickets today fell to Warren Wisneski who had 4-95.

Canterbury's progress towards stumps, armed with that 92-run lead, was indecisive. They lost the valuable wickets of Jarrod Englefield, Shanan Stewart, Michael Papps and Gary Stead and were left with Chris Harris and Aaron Redmond at the wicket, still in the early stages of their innings.

Englefield fell lbw to Brent Hefford for three, Stewart was caught by Griggs off Andrew Schwass for 38, Papps edged a catch to Sulzberger off Tim Anderson and part-timer David Kelly claimed his second first-class wicket when he trapped Stead lbw. Kelly took his first first-class wicket in Canterbury's first innings.

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