Aaron Redmond showed the grit and determination that New Zealand will need when the first npower Test match starts at Lord's on Thursday by defying the efforts of seven aspiring England bowlers, shrugging off three stinging blows to the head and body and grinding out a five-hour century at the Rose Bowl yesterday.

Sir Richard Hadlee, the chairman of the New Zealand selectors, has said that solving the problem at the top of the batting order is a key issue, which is why they turned to Redmond, who began his career as a leg spinner but has worked assiduously to turn himself into the kind of batsman his country craves. There is nothing spectacular about him but he has averaged more than 50 for Canterbury over the past two seasons and he demonstrated yesterday why he can look forward to a longer Test career than his father, Rodney, who scored 107 and 56 on his debut against Pakistan in 1973 but could not adapt to contact lenses on the England tour later that year and did not play again.

It was not easy for him because Matthew Hoggard, still smarting after being dropped in New Zealand during the winter, was desperate to persuade the selectors that he should be restored to the England team at Lord's, while Graham Onions and Chris Tremlett were equally determined to press their claims.

In the event, Hoggard was outbowled by the pair of them, Onions pinning Jamie How leg-before for a duck with his third ball and Tremlett undoing James Marshall, who fended him off to short leg, and Ross Taylor, who was caught behind driving, with his disconcerting bounce.

Neither held any terrors for Brendon McCullum, who is captaining the New Zealanders while Daniel Vettori's split spinning finger heals and gave the innings some much-needed momentum by thrashing 47 off 43 balls with seven fours as though he was still playing in the Indian Premier League.

His cameo came to a sad end when Redmond sent him back as he charged down the pitch looking for a single and was run out by Michael Carberry's pick-up and throw, and it said much for Redmond that he did not let the episode disturb him. He was more ruffled by Onions, who, having claimed another leg-before decision that raises questions about Daniel Flynn's Test credentials, felled him with a short ball that struck him on the side of the helmet.

Redmond, who had already been battered about the body by Ravi Bopara and Luke Wright, continued after treatment but Onions had him dropped at first slip by Graeme Swann on 97 before he gratefully pulled a long hop from Adil Rashid for his seventeenth four to reach his fifth first-class century off 217 balls.

He had made it a frustrating day for all the England bowlers but Tremlett, probably the best of them, picked up a third wicket when he had Jacob Oram caught behind and Hoggard finally got into the act by claiming three tailenders with the second new ball.

He was into his eighteenth over when he had Jeetan Patel caught at second slip, but he went on to have Tim Southee caught at first slip and dismiss Iain O'Brien leg-before to finish with figures of three for 41 and a sheepish look. He faces an anxious wait to find out whether he bowled well enough to impress James Whitaker, the watching selector.

Scoreboard

England Lions: First Innings 280 (L J Wright 120)

New Zealanders: First Innings
J M How lbw b Onions 0
A J Redmond not out 139
J A H Marshall c Wright b Tremlett 10
L R P L Taylor c Prior b Tremlet 5
*†B B McCullum run out 47
D R Flynn lbw b Onions 16
J D P Oram c Prior b Tremlett 25
J S Patel c Shah b Hoggard 2
T G Southee c Swann b Hoggard 6
I E O'Brien lbw b Hoggard 0
C S Martin not out 0
Extras (lb 9, w 1, nb 1) 11
Total (9 wkts, 90 overs) 261
Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-33, 3-47, 4-124, 5-172, 6-244, 7-250, 8-260, 9-260.
Bowling: Hoggard 20-6-41-3; Onions 18-8-45-2; Tremlett 17-0-58-3; Swann 18-4-55-0; Bopara 1-0-4-0; Wright 6-1-12-0; Rashid 10-2-37-0.
Umpires: M A Gough and J F Steele.

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