Strydom century puts Border in strong position

Pieter Strydom's 125 followed by penetrative seam bowling put Border exactly where they wanted to be after two days of this match.

Strydom's innings - which should have ended when he was dropped on 11 on Thursday - was the product of 306 minutes at the crease in which he faced 244 and hit 16 fours and two sixes. His major partner was Laden Gamiet, with whom the Border captain shared 126 runs for the sixth wicket.

Strydom and Gamiet are both habitual risk takers, and both perished in that fashion when they were caught at fine leg by Andre Nel. Strydom's dismissal came via a brilliant diving catch as Nel sprinted in from the boundary, while Gamiet merely shoved a catch down the fielder's throat.

But with Strydom in command, Border were able to make the most of an ordinary overnight score of 283-5. They kept the pressure on early in Easterns' reply by reducing them to 85-5 before Pierre de Bruyn and Anthony Pollock regained some of their side's lost ground with a sixth-wicket stand of 57 which ended when Pollock was caught behind off Tyron Henderson for 40.

De Bruyn is still there on 29, but it is doubtful that he will be able to drum up much support from the rest of the Easterns batting order. Border's frontline seam attack of Vasbert Drakes, Dion Taljard and Henderson have all given precious little away, while Piet Botha - playing in his 100th first-class match - proved an absolute miser in conceding just six runs off as many overs.