WICKETS with both new balls for Matthew Hoggard made the beginning and end of the opening day of the series a good deal more enjoyable for England than the long and blustery hours in between.

A strong sou’wester enabled Ashley Giles to bottle up an end for most of the afternoon while the quick men did their best to extract some spark from a pitch that was as slow as expected, but Boeta Dippenaar’s typically steadfast innings and an attractive 93 by Jacques Rudolph insured South Africa against calamity.

Neither side could feel complete satisfaction, England because they missed chances offered by both Rudolph and Dippenaar, South Africa because a partnership of 112 by these two had taken them to 178 for three before Andrew Flintoff undermined them with one of those hostile, shrewdly mixed spells that are becoming increasingly common.

England had the edge by the end, but for South Africa to have got within sight of 300 despite ducks for their two outstanding batsmen, Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis, showed the level of determination in their ranks. In particular they refused to be bullied by the pace and hostility of Flintoff and Stephen Harmison. Dippenaar played them mainly off the back foot in his adhesive innings of just under five hours.

Staunch but understated Christian as he is, Dippenaar’s batting was an extension of his character: nothing flamboyant, much self-sacrifice. That is not, however, to say that he is dull. His occasional attacking strokes, mainly between cover and mid-off, were crisp and neat.

All credit, initially, to Rudolph and his former schoolmate, A. B. de Villiers, who found themselves in harness again much earlier than expected when Smith, having unhesitatingly chosen to bat, got a thick, high edge to the second ball of the day and edged it low to Andrew Strauss’s right at third slip. There was no chance, however, of a repeat in reverse of the sensational start to the series between these countries in Johannesburg five years ago. Pitch and weather were totally different and the eventual total was respectable. “Anything more than 350 would be a bonus for us now,” Rudolph said in a voice that suggested, nevertheless, that South Africa had rather missed the boat.

They were indebted to the two main scorers and to Shaun Pollock, who played the most fluent and untroubled innings until he attracted from Hoggard the nearest thing to an unplayable ball all day. It lifted and left him a fraction to take the outside edge and give Marcus Trescothick a calmly taken catch at first slip.

Had he taken a much harder chance to his right from the edge of Dippenaar’s bat, Hoggard would have finished with four wickets and would have deserved them, too. As the only genuine swing bowler in the attack he did what was expected of him, but as he said: “It was a workmanlike effort from everybody. For everyone to go for around three an over on a flat pitch showed how well we bowled and how patient we were. The wind made it very hard and you couldn’t really get a rhythm.”

In the circumstances, England must have been delighted to have three wickets by lunch. De Villiers, who could be used as a wicketkeeper/batsman lower in the order when Herschelle Gibbs returns, was leg-before to a ball that hustled though from Flintoff, but he had betrayed no nerves and hit some fine, instinctive shots, including a cuff over extra cover off the back foot from a short, wide ball from Simon Jones.

Considering that he had an upset tummy that had him on and off the field frequently, Jones deserved his pat on the back from Hoggard rather more than Harmison, who veered between lengths a little too short or full. That said, it was a low, swinging full toss by Harmison that curved inside a drive from Kallis and hit the base of his off stump.

Rudolph’s first runs had come in the air off Hoggard past the left hand of Graham Thorpe, hovering “under the lid” at short leg. It is a place for junior professionals, not senior ones, but Strauss fared no better in the same position hours later when Rudolph, by now 68, turned Giles through his hands.