A GRITTY 141 from Graeme Hick and some fine support work from Robin Smith (43) and Jack Russell (50 not out) hoisted England to 381 for nine in the first Test against South Africa at Centurion Park yesterday.
The South African bowlers, lacking injured left-armer Brett Shultz, did strike back during the afternoon to pick up four wickets but a violent thunderstorm during the tea interval ruled out any further play on the second day.
Hick had begun the day on 105 and remained at the crease until 37 minutes into the afternoon session when he was palpably leg before to Shaun Pollock.
Unlike Thursday when he adopted a very positive approach, Hick was a lot more circumspect, adding just 26 runs in the morning and a total of 36 from the 103 balls he faced yesterday.
He had two let-offs when he was dropped by Craig Matthews on 67 and by Brian McMillan at slip on 125 but his dogged innings which lasted 393 minutes and 278 balls included 25 sweetly-struck boundaries.
He shared a good partnership of 84 in the morning with Robin Smith who passed 4,000 runs in Test cricket during his pugnacious innings of 43 which included a six over backward point off Pollock and six boundaries.
Smith was bowled by McMillan before lunch and the burly all-rounder returned in the afternoon to remove Dominic Cork (eight) and Darren Gough (nought) while Allan Donald, who had seen two catches go down in the slips, was rewarded with the scalp of Richard Illingworth, also for a duck.