Cricket: Half-century for Redmond

Captain Aaron Redmond stroked an unbeaten half-century against Canterbury on a rain-interrupted first day in Rangiora yesterday.

With rain hanging around the ground for the majority of the day, play did not get under way until about 5pm.

Redmond, who looked good in the nets during the week, batted through the shortened day's 32 overs, hitting eight fours on his way to 59 not out off 97 balls.

Before yesterday, the right-hander had a high score of 31 in four Plunket Shield innings this season.

While he will have to get himself in again this morning, he is well poised to go on and score his 16th first-class ton.

Michael Bracewell, who scored a brilliant 147 in Otago's 27 run loss against Northern Districts last week, is unbeaten on 32 at the other end as Otago reached 117 for one off 32 overs.

The pair have put on 89 runs off 143 balls, after opener Hamish Rutherford was caught by Freddie Anderson off Andrew Ellis' bowling for 14. Earlier, in his record-breaking 49th match as Canterbury captain, Peter Fulton won the toss and sent the Volts into bat.

After a relatively comfortable start, Rutherford was dismissed in the ninth over with just 28 runs on the board.

Black Caps captain Brendon McCullum, playing his first game for Otago since November 2011, is listed to come in next.

If Redmond and Bracewell can kick on this morning, the hard-hitting McCullum will have a fine platform to build on.

Otago opted against playing two spinners, meaning Nick Beard again missed out on the playing XI.

Black Caps spinner Mark Craig will be Redmond's only slow bowling option, while he has four seamers at his disposal in Neil Wagner, Jacob Duffy, Michael Rae and Bradley Scott.

 -by Robert van Royen 

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