Lance Hamilton of Central Districts, showed he might be a left-arm bowler in New Zealand who can fill the boots of the now-retired Geoff Allott with his five-wicket bag against Canterbury at the Village Green today.

In his comeback year, after missing the 2000/01 season through injury, Hamilton took four wickets in 10 balls at either end of Canterbury's innings today as the early-season pacesetters stumbled against accurate swing bowling on a dead pitch.

Five wickets went for 45 runs this morning, with the last three going to Hamilton, as Canterbury collapsed to a first innings score of 153.

Hamilton's career-best of 5-30 was complimented with two wickets in his opening over when Canterbury followed on 212 runs behind.

But then Robbie Frew, with 79 not out, and Shanan Stewart (54) added 111, the highest partnership of the match, to give Canterbury a chance of setting a target on the fourth day in a match where teams have made whole sessions belong to them.

CD took all three on the first day, Canterbury the first yesterday and the last two today, and Hamilton ensured the Stags‚ took the opening session today.

"We had two good sessions, but they were definitely needed," laughed Canterbury coach Michael Sharpe.

"After that Auckland pitch," Sharpe explained, "where our batters were in a bit of a different mind about what to play and what not to play, I think it overran into this game as well."

Canterbury had its first loss of the season, by an innings, on a suspect Auckland wicket last week.

"Even up in Auckland Robbie Frew showed some good signs. He's come into the side and waited for a couple of games and he's really taken his opportunity, occupying the crease very well," said Sharpe of his 31-year-old opener, who saw off Hamilton today after his devastating start.

Hamilton took 14 wickets in three matches for New Zealand A in England during June 2000 after taking 31 at 20.22 for CD in 1999/00.

Missing the whole of last season through injury, the Papakura-born 28-year-old has now taken 18 wickets this term.

"He actually got the ball to swing back in from over the wicket," noted Sharpe. "To be able to angle the ball back in is very dangerous on a low, slow wicket."

Canterbury lost Jarrod Englefield (completing a pair) and Michael Papps in Hamilton's opening six balls, but survived a further 83 overs in the rest of the day, occasionally batting eloquently towards stumps.

When Stewart was unluckily lbw to the second ball after tea, a third Riccarton club player, Gary Stead, helped Frew see Canterbury to within 34 runs of CD by the close.

Frew nudged to his highest score for a year, after joint top scoring in Canterbury's first innings, while Stead also hung around, increasing his stroke play to the spinners towards the close. They made CD bowl top lines, leaving everything that wasn't straight and, in Frew's case, after being left out for most of the season, reproducing his second team form today.

At a ground where the southwesterly wind was so cold CD coach Dipak Patel wore a scarf, Canterbury may be able to set Central a target tomorrow and copy their 102-run comeback win at Pukekura Park early in the season.

"It'll be great to get into that position where we can put some pressure onto them, but its a long way to go yet," smiled Sharpe after his team showed the mettle for a fight to reward their new coach yet again today.

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