Neil Broom pulled alongside one of the heavyweights of Otago cricket yesterday.
The 32-year-old right-hander posted his 17th first-class hundred, helping the Volts reach 263 for four on the opening day of their Plunket Shield match against Canterbury in Invercargill.
Three of his hundreds have been for, well, Canterbury. But the 14 he has scored for Otago means he has equalled Ken Rutherford's haul.
Only two players have scored more centuries for the province - Craig Cumming (21) and Bert Sutcliffe (17) - so he is among elite company.
Broom finished the day undefeated on 117. Derek de Boorder was at the wicket with him, on 17.
Coach Nathan King said Broom showed his class against a quality attack on a wicket on which it was not easy to score.
"Both Broom and [Jimmy] Neesham showed a lot of patience. It was a pretty slow sort of wicket and I thought at times they bowled really well,'' King said.
"We just had to be patient and wait for the scoring opportunities to come and [Broom] just carried on the way he has been batting all summer. He has been in fantastic touch and had another good innings today.''
Broom and Neesham combined in a stand of 145 for the fourth wicket.
Neesham hit 11 boundaries before he was bowled by legspinner Todd Astle after he had skipped down the wicket looking to get to the pitch of the ball.
"We lost a couple of early ones and were under pressure there. But the partnership between Broom and Neesham was crucial. They batted half the day for us.''
Broom went out to bat with his side in trouble at 19 for two.
In-form opener Brad Wilson was trapped lbw for one in the second over and Anaru Kitchen got a leading edge and holed out for 16.
Michael Bracewell was fresh from a rapid club cricket century. He thumped 132 not out from 62 balls for Carisbrook-Dunedin on Saturday but slumped to his knee after spooning a drive to Chad Bowes on 32.
Black Cap Matt Henry was the most expensive of the Canterbury bowlers. He took one for 71 but went for more than four an over.
Kyle Jamieson was frugal with one for 35 from 16 overs and Astle was getting the ball to turn and will be a threat when the game resumes today.
At the Basin Reserve, Northern Districts reached 133 for two against Wellington during a rain-interrupted day.
The game is well advanced in Auckland where the home side rattled on 373 in 80.3 overs.
Michael Guptill-Bunce scored 122 off 103 balls and, at stumps, Central Districts was 54 for one in reply.
