Northern Districts teenager Kane Williamson came painfully close to scoring his maiden first class century on the first day of a State Championship four-day cricket match against Canterbury today.
At stumps, Northern were 208 for six after winning the toss and deciding to bat first at Hamilton's SeddonPark.
Canterbury won the morning session hands down - within 29 overs, they had dismissed four Northern batsmen for the cost of just 63 runs.
Allrounder Joseph Yovich, nearing a first class double of 3000 runs and 300 wickets this season, quickly threw out the anchor when he joined Williamson, 18, at the crease.
While Williamson, in his fifth first class match, played a trademark innings of solid defence combined with thoughtful strokeplay as he hit 11 boundaries and one six.
Yovich's innings by contrast was yawn-inducing - at stumps, he was unbeaten on 34 off 201 balls with 20 of his runs coming off five boundaries.
However, such was the pair's determination to repair the Northern innings, a frustrated Canterbury skipper Kruger van Wyk was forced to use seven bowlers to try and break the partnership which realised 141 runs by the time Williamson departed almost 60 overs after it began.
With just two overs remaining in the final session, Williamson was on 98 having passed his previous first class high of 82, scored against Otago in the second round.
But seamer Hamish Bennett induced Williamson into an injudicious pull shot off a short ball, gifting Todd Astle a catch at square leg.
Bennett was the best of the Canterbury bowlers with figures of three for 41, including that of night-watchman Bruce Martin for four. Andrew Ellis picked up two for 23 including the wicket of Northern skipper James Marshall for nought.
