After a searching 12-over spell in the first session, in which he picked up three wickets for 27 runs, he returned in the afternoon to take two wickets in six balls and cause more frustration for the home side. By the time he had finished his spell he had five for 61 from 22 overs.

At the last session drinks break, Canterbury were 186/7.

Chris Harris meanwhile continued his advance up the all-time Canterbury scoring list by supplanting local icon Graham Dowling in fourth place on the list.

When pulling a ball to the mid-wicket boundary he reached the 68 he needed to move ahead of Dowling's 3690 runs. Only Paul McEwan (5940), Rod Latham (5919) and (4429) lie ahead of him now. He was finally out for 82, caught at second slip by Ashley Giles, to give Andrew Flintoff his first wicket of the day.

Earlier, the productive fifth-wicket stand was finally broken when Frew was not quite able to keep the ball down low enough before it was taken low down by Andrew Flintoff at third slip from Caddick's bowling.

His innings ended after 179 balls with his score on 44, and including only three fours.

However, he had at least lent some credibility to Canterbury's score in partnership with Harris as 106 runs were added by the pair.

The score at the dimissal was 145/5.

Gareth Hopkins joined Harris, and was dropped, a hard chance off his gloves, by Nasser Hussain diving back at first slip.

Caddick wasn't to be denied and three balls later he cut a ball which point fieldsman Mark Ramprakash dived low to pick up the chance and give Caddick a five-wicket bag.

Canterbury were 149/6.

Chris Harris saw the 150 up with a four behind point, cut off Ashley Giles' bowling.

Paul Wiseman came in and hit the first six of the day off Flintoff but was dropped by wicket-keeper James Foster from left-arm spinner Giles' bowling when on 12.

Harris and Robbie Frew enjoyed an unbroken fifth-wicket stand to see the side recover form a poor start which had them harpooned on 39/4 midway through the first session.

However, a clever mixture of working the ball around, hitting the loose balls and sheer bloody-minded defence, saw them regain some of the initiative with Harris hitting his 28th half century. The milestone was achieved off 92 balls and included eight fours.

In recent years in New Zealand domestic cricket, Harris has been one of the most consistent of scorers and he has been scoring his runs at an average of 60.00.

He stands to move into fourth place on the all-time Canterbury scoring list behind Paul McEwan, Rod Latham and Barry Hadlee when he reaches 69. He would move ahead of a Canterbury cricket legend and former New Zealand Cricket chief executive Graham Dowling when reaching that score.

Harris went to the tea break unbeaten on 56 while Robbie Frew, his partner in a 102-run fifth wicket stand, was on 43, an innings on his part of monumental patience.

Canterbury were 141/4 with the day very cool and not looking like getting any better.

The early bite had gone from the track and many of the early devils had departed the scene.

However, there were some moments of alarm, especially for Frew, on 40, when he attempted a pull shot from Craig White's bowling. The ball was miscued and flew high in the air to where square leg would normally field. Mark Trescothick was deeper than usual and although he ran in hard to attempt to make the catch he was just short of grasping hold of it.

The pair brought up their 100-partnership off 223 balls and in the middle session of the day 77 runs were scored off 28 overs.

The bowling was always tight but Caddick showed how much he is the kingpin of the attack by remaining the most efficient of the bowlers having three for 43 off 17 overs. Left-arm spinner Ashley Giles was introduced during the session and conceded 10 runs from his five overs.

Having gone to lunch at 64/4, they batted through the first hour and added 41 runs, bringing up their 50 partnership off 109 balls.

Frew, who had been all dogged application in keeping his wicket, at one stage unleashed successive boundaries from Matthew Hoggard's bowling, turned through square leg for four and then off driven.

The 100 mark was passed in the 39th over off 238 balls.

When drinks were taken, the score was 105/4 with Harris maintaining what has become an outstanding record at first-class level by getting to 36, with Frew on 32.

Andrew Caddick returned for three overs and took his figures to three for 38 while Hoggard's tight grip was loosened a fraction as he took one for 25 from his 13 overs.

Andrew Flintoff bowled nine overs and had none for 24 while Craig White had none for 11 off five.

Caddick, raised in Christchurch before heading to England to find cricketing fame and fortune, played for the Riccarton Cricket Club which has its pavilion on the wicket block adjacent to the representative pitch on Hagley Oval.

Bowling in perfect seam bowler's conditions, he bowled an unbroken spell of 12 overs from the ground's northern end and took three for 27.

Canterbury, asked to bat first by England captain Nasser Hussain, were struggling to make any impact with the bat and every run was ground out.

At the lunch break, on a cool afternoon with a persistent north-easterly wind blowing off Pegasus Bay and across the city, Canterbury were 64/4. Robbie Frew was 15 not out and Chris Harris 14 not out.

Probably the most prized of Caddick's victims was Test batsman Nathan Astle. He came to the wicket with Canterbury 33/3 but had no more luck than the already departed batsmen in getting on top of the bowling.

His dismissal, for six, was the result of a curious shot, a sort of hook/swat from Caddick which was caught at backward square leg by Usman Afzaal. Canterbury were in real trouble at that stage at 39/4.

Chris Harris joined opener Robbie Frew, who refused to give up his wicket in a trademark show of defiance.

Harris survived a huge appeal for leg before wicket from Caddick's bowling from the first ball he faced. Then three balls later there was a big shout for a catch behind the stumps. But both were turned down by umpire Robert Anderson.

Harris batted on and did have the distinction of playing the shot of the morning, a back foot off-drive for four from Caddick's bowling which also brought up the 50.

Caddick's departure from the attack did relieve some of the pressure, with Craig White taking his place. The last ball of his first over being slipped for four all along the ground the gully region.

Then a rare shot of aggression in White's next over as Harris hooked him just short of the boundary rope for four runs.

Andrew Flintoff relieved Matthew Hoggard from the southern end for five overs, which cost 13 runs.

Hoggard then returned for his second spell and went to the lunch break with one for 10 from his nine overs.

Conditions provided a lively test for the Canterbury openers as they contended with the ball moving around off the grassy track.

The Hagley Oval presented a lovely picture bathed in autumny sun with a north-easterly blowing across the ground.

But the home town players had no chance to take in the surroundings as Andrew Caddick and Matthew Hoggard revelled in the conditions to put the Cantabrians through the mill.

Shanan Stewart was the first to suffer when caught by Nasser Hussain at first slip capturing the ball after it rebounded off second slip Mark Butcher, from Andrew Caddick's bowling for a duck. Canterbury were one for five and Caddick, bowling on the strip adjacent to that of the Riccarton Cricket Club where he learnt his craft as a youth before setting out to capture his cricket fortune in England.

Michael Papps joined Robbie Frew but after scoring seven from seven balls he was out, caught low down by Hussain, still at first slip, from Hoggard's bowling. Canterbury at that stage were 18/2.

Former international and Canterbury captain Gary Stead attempted to provide some solidity for the side but after 25 balls of attempting to break up the pattern of bowling he edged a ball from Caddick to wicket-keeper James Foster to depart for 12 to leave Canterbury 33/3.

Nathan Astle then joined Frew as the first drinks break was taken and Caddick had two for 19 from his first eight overs.

England won the toss and put Canterbury in on a green-looking pitch with good carry.

Andrew Caddick and Matthew Hoggard, the likely Test opening pairing will be looking to hone their bowling in readiness for the Test which starts at the city's main cricket ground, Jade Stadium.

It is not available for this game as rugby authorities over-rode the Canterbury Cricket Association's 125th anniversary celebrations in order to host a Super 12 rugby match on Saturday evening.

Canterbury have not been able to call on internationals Chris Cairns or Craig McMillan for the match as both are recovering from slight injury strains in order to be ready for next week's Test match.

However, Nathan Astle and Chris Harris are in the side with Astle looking to slip out of One-Day batting mode in readiness for the Test.

Umpires today are: Dave Quested and Robert Anderson.

The teams are:

Canterbury: Gary Stead (captain), Robbie Frew, Shanan Stewart, Michael Papps, Nathan Astle, Chris Harris, Gareth Hopkins, Paul Wiseman, Warren Wisneski, Wade Cornelius, Chris Martin.

England: Nasser Hussain (captain), Mark Butcher, Michael Vaughan, Mark Ramprakash, Usman Afzaal, Andrew Flintoff, Craig White, James Foster, Ashley Giles, Andrew Caddick, Matthew Hoggard.