The Tasmanian Cricket Association has all but put the finishing touches on a spectacular new grandstand at its home ground. But it may not be enough to prevent local fans from tearing down the facilities at the Bellerive Oval if Jamie Cox is never chosen to play for his country.

At a time when Australian cricket continues to struggle to find its best Test opening combination, Cox continues to make runs. By the bucketload.

And so it was that New South Wales suffered badly at his hands at the opening of a new Pura Cup season here at the Sydney Cricket Ground today. Though a sensational burst with the second new ball from Stuart Clark (4/24) significantly improved matters for the locals in the last half hour, the Tigers dominated the first day of this contest, powering their way to a scoreline of 4/328 by the time that bad light forced an early finish.

Devastated by a stand of 205 for the opening wicket between Cox (107) and Dene Hills (136), and then another of 113 for the second between Hills and captain Ricky Ponting (75*), an attack that contained even the likes of Glenn McGrath (0/86) and Stuart MacGill (0/87) looked powerless to halt the onslaught.

"I was actually very disappointed (in some ways); I feel as though I left a lot (of runs) out there as well. To get small hundreds is a bit frustrating to be honest, but overall it's still very satisfying nonetheless," said Cox after stumps.

It was Tasmania's openers who did all the day's hard work, their approach watchful initially before they expanded their range of shots expertly even against a new ball which seamed sharply at times on a pitch tinged with grass at both ends.

As always, Cox's driving and cutting through the off side was a feature, albeit that the Blues did not seem to heed the message from earlier years that straying for length on the off side is generally not the best method of either containing or conquering him.

Even by the time that MacGill spilled a hot caught and bowled chance when the Tasmanian vice-captain's score was 70, he had already become the first player in history to score 10,000 first-class runs for the island state.

His forty-second first-class century (and his twelfth against this opponent) also swelled his phenomenal haul of runs against New South Wales alone to a whopping 1574 from his last 15 completed innings.

The reigning Pura Cup Player of the Year was a controversial omission from the Australian squad which toured England this winter. He has also ceded the state captaincy to Ponting, the one representative that Tasmania does provide to the national team these days. But his thirst for runs seemingly remains undiminished.

"Enormous hopes - I've had them all my life," he said of his aspirations for the Test opening role that might well be opening up for him after Michael Slater's removal from the position in England.

"Whilst I'm still playing and feeling good and feeling young, then they'll stay. If I keep scoring runs, then hopefully a door may open.

"It's one of the things with selection: you never know how close or how far away you might be."

After enduring fluctuating fortunes in 2000-01, Hills was also back to his fluent best, striking the ball beautifully to both sides of the wicket. Ponting was similarly in control in driving, hooking and cutting with savage intent through the middle and late afternoon, even slamming three successive boundaries off Test teammate McGrath at one point. By the time that they reached a scoreline of 1/318, an imposing position by stumps looked a near formality for the visitors.

Clark had other ideas, generating a devastating spell that yielded figures of 3/0 in the space of eight balls and forced all-rounder Scott Kremerskothen (0*) to hospital with a broken nose and an horrific wound above his left eye. That blow came courtesy of a lifting delivery that spat off a length and chiselled its way between the peak and grill of a hooking Kremerskothen's helmet en route to the bridge of his nose.

The Tasmanian all-rounder was not the first player to head from the ground to the casualty ward, though.

Mark Waugh had also ventured there earlier in the day - needing two stitches to repair split webbing on his right hand - after grassing a chance to accept an edge from Hills (then on just 7) at second slip off McGrath.

And, if it hadn't been for Clark's intervention, then the whole Blues' side might have been on their way there after stumps too.

© 2001 CricInfo Ltd