Johnson and Blewett make mockery of first-day batting woes

ADELAIDE, Oct 16 AAP - South Australian opener Ben Johnson and skipper Greg Blewett made light of a 17-wicket opening day as they blasted an unbroken 241-run stand on day two of their Pura Cup cricket match against Victoria at Adelaide Oval today.

Johnson was on 143 and Blewett on 96 at stumps, with SA in complete control of the match at 1-268, leading by 264 runs overall with nine wickets in hand and two days left to push for an outright win.

The Redbacks trailed by four runs on the first innings.

David Fitzgerald was the only batsman out in their second innings, caught behind off Mathew Inness for 11.

Earlier, Victoria's NSW recruit Graeme Rummans top-scored for his new side with an unbeaten 69 to guide the Bushrangers to a first innings total of 153, after SA made just 149 in its first innings.

Rummans smashed 32 of a 39-run last wicket stand with Will Carr (five) to push the Bushrangers past SA's first innings total, a result that looked highly unlikely when Victoria had slumped to 9-114.

SA all-rounder Michael Miller, in his fifth first-class match, took career-best figures of 7-55.

But Johnson said the meagre first innings totals of both sides were difficult to comprehend on a docile batting strip.

"It's difficult to explain, yesterday I walked off at the end of the day and thought what a weird day of cricket yesterday was, it wasn't a really poor wicket," he said.

He and Blewett proved that point with their massive stand today which lasted nearly five hours, considerably longer than either the SA or Victorian first innings.

Such was the growing desperation of the Victorian bowlers that at one stage late in the day Carr bowled an entire over to Johnson well outside off-stump, including two wides, in an effort to draw a rash stroke.

In the following over, leg-spinner Cameron White resorted to bowling from about a metre short of the crease to try to upset Greg Blewett's rhythm.

But none of the moves had any success and Blewett demonstrated the lack of trouble White was causing him several overs later when he smashed him through the Victor Richardson Gates for a huge six over mid-wicket.

The closest Victoria came to breaking the partnership was when slow left-armer Rummans was brought into the attack - the seventh bowler used - and caught the edge of Blewett's bat when the SA skipper was on 82.

Bushrangers skipper Matthew Elliott, at first slip, initially claimed to have taken a low catch, a claim which appeared to be backed up by a television replay.

However, he admitted to being unsure whether he had taken it and the two umpires conferred and turned the appeal down.

Johnson said SA would look to build a massive lead ahead of any declaration tomorrow.

"There's still a lot of batting for us to do and we're not going to be doing anything silly and giving them a sniff,," he said.