Matt Horne erased some of his Zimbabwean test blues as Otago made a bold reply to Canterbury's 201 in Alexandra yesterday.
Otago were 57 for one at stumps, with their captain unbeaten on 42, including seven fours, off 50 balls, as he caned some wayward, short bowling.
Craig Cumming was unbeaten on13 at the close and that was a little milestone of its own.
Up until then he had scored only 19 in six previous Shell Trophy innings for the province.
Mark Richardson was dismissed for two when he played tentatively at Warren Wisneski and edged a catch to first slip.
But Horne, who scored just five runs in two innings in the test against Zimbabwe last week, produced a medley of strokes and Otago will need him to flourish today if they are to capitalise.
Canterbury were reasonably satisfied with their total after being sent into bat on a well-grassed pitch.
Otago's bowlers largely wasted the advantage, pitching too short and wide as Canterbury went to lunch at 61 for one.
The bowlers were straighter and much fuller in length in the second session.
Opener Robbie Frew, who had battled diligently for 22 in 154 minutes off 102 balls, was finally undone when he shouldered arms to Craig Pryor and had his off stump knocked out.
That precipitated a mini-collapse in which Canterbury lost five wickets for 17 runs as they slumped to 88 for six.
Canterbury scored only 74 in the second session.
But the adhesive Aaron Redmond and the aggressive Wisneski added 58 in 63 minutes for the seventh wicket before Wisneski, who made 36 off 52 balls, was caught behind off the erratic David Sewell.
Stephen Cunis and Redmond had a profitable partnership of 38, before Cunis departed for 33 off just 42 balls.
Redmond finished unbeaten on 44 from 115 balls, an innings of character and intelligence as he held together the lower order.
Warren McSkimming, who took four for 39, was probably the most consistent of the Otago bowlers after they were handicapped by the late withdrawal of New Zealand paceman Kerry Walmsley because of a groin strain.
