Queensland batsmen make hay

Queensland 6 for 440 (Symonds 102, Maher 97, Noffke 81*, Hartley 79*) lead South Australia 204 by 236 runs
Scorecard

A ruthless Andrew Symonds today ended a three-year Pura Cup drought by leading a four-pronged Queensland batting assault that strangled South Australia at the Gabba.

Symonds blasted a quickfire 102 off 124 balls to propel Queensland to take first-innings points on the second day against South Australia. He was the star of the show, but Jimmy Maher and lower-order pair Chris Hartley and Ashley Noffke provided crucial support acts as Queensland finished at 6 for 440.

Hartley, on his debut, made 79 and Noffke scored 81 in an unbeaten 161-run seventh-wicket stand to set up a match-winning lead.

Trailing by 236 runs, Wayne Phillips, SA's coach could only hope his batsman turn around their disappointing display to salvage something from the match. "I haven't had many tougher days," said Phillips, who watched his tired side wilt in the Brisbane sun with a string of misfields and a costly dropped catch off Noffke. "We thought that the Australia A selection of Shaun Tait and Paul Rofe might challenge our bowling but that's not an excuse. They're a terrific side, the Bulls."

It could have been better for SA after Queensland, resuming at 1 for 66, stuttered to 3 for 89 when Mark Cleary sent Clinton Perren and Stuart Law packing in his first three overs of the day.

But Symonds and Maher saw Queensland to safe ground with a 92-run stand before Maher missed out on a hundred by edging Mick Miller behind in the last over before lunch.

Symonds, meanwhile, took 85 balls to bring up his half-century, and then smashed 50 from the next 33 balls. "It was typically Symo," Matthew Hayden, his team-mate said. "He had a pretty good tempo this innings. He was steady at the start and the elevated. Symo has got an enormous potential to score boundaries at will."

Symonds, the world-record holder for most sixes) in a first-class innings (16 for Gloucestershire), he belted the majority of his runs in boundaries, including 18 fours and a fierce off-driven six. He was eventually out hooking Andrew Staunton to long-leg where Ryan Harris took a fine running catch.

Without a century since scoring a match-winning 134 not out in October 2000 against Tasmania, Symond's 10th Pura Cup ton was well timed with selector Trevor Hohns watching on leading into a busy new year for the national team.