Tim McIntosh, the 21-year-old Auckland left-hand opening batsman, performed one of the great rags-to-riches performances when he scored 167 in the Auckland first innings score of 361 for four wickets against Canterbury in the Shell Trophy match at Eden Park's outer oval today.

McIntosh had a dazzling start to the Trophy season when he scored 182 against Canterbury at Village Green in the second match of the summer in early December.

Over the next seven matches McIntosh scored two half-centuries, but many innings far below the potential he has shown in recent years.

In his last three matches McIntosh scored 21 and 0 against Otago, 0 and 56 against Central Districts and that very quick "air" in a total of 14 balls against Wellington - four ducks and 77 runs.

Yet from the very first minutes, even after losing his opening partner Richard Pudney at 8, McIntosh batted like a man in totally commanding form. There was a slowish start as Canterbury, after losing the toss, attacked vigorously with Chris Martin, the New Zealand medium-fast bowler, and Shane Bond, a very aggressive bowler.

Martin made a surprise appearance. He had been dropped from the New Zealand one-day side, but with the first day washed out Canterbury had time to get Martin to Auckland in time to start on the second day.

While McIntosh looked safer and more confident with every passing over, Canterbury missed the chances against Richard King, an enterprising right-hand batsman with a rich share of good luck.

While McIntosh went sublimely along, King was twice dropped at third (11) and then second slip (28) by Gary Stead, and must have been very close to a bat-pad catch from Carl Anderson when he was 32.

And that was the end of the Canterbury bowlers for the rest of the day, even if Bond did finish with three well-earned wickets for 70 runs.

King was out short of a half-century, but had set up Auckland with a 101-run stand for the second wicket.

Blair Pocock, another Auckland batsman searching for good form, struggled manfully, and Auckland was lucky that Pocock's sluggish start coincided with McIntosh reaching a rich vein of runs.

In fact Pocock had scored only 12 in 75 balls, but he was there while McIntosh hustled the total along from 109 for two wickets to 190 for three.

By this time the pitch had lost any menace it may have contained from the slightly damp and slow surface, and with the sun sapping the bowlers' energy, McIntosh led Auckland to faster and faster scoring.

McIntosh's first 50 took 110 balls and 134 minutes, with seven fours and a six. His second 50 came from 83 balls and 97 minutes, eight fours and a six - not riotous scoring, but quite quick by recent Auckland scoring.

And it said much for McIntosh's control that he galloped through the 80's and 90's with a barrage of boundaries and finished off the century with his signature stroke, a superb straight four from the front foot.

The arrival of Nash gave McIntosh and Auckland another lease of life. They scored their first 50 together in 29 minutes from 35 balls, with Nash starting his assault with a straight six, and then driving and cutting boundaries from the tiring Canterbury bowlers.

Canterbury even had to call on a few expensive overs from Jarrod Englefield and James Ward as they filled in time before the second new ball, and during this time McIntosh and Nash were in dominating mood.

However, there was nothing wrong with the spirit of the Canterbury bowlers and when Martin and Bond had the second new balls they stopped Auckland in their tracks.

The first effect was the dismissal of McIntosh after only three deliveries with the new ball from Bond.

McIntosh had looked impregnable, and tucked away a wide ball from Bond for four to third man, one of his regular supply of runs.

The next ball may have been an accident, or a touch of tactical genius from Bond. The ball was very wide, bouncing high, McIntosh made what looked like a token wave at the ball as it zoomed by - and the faint touch was smartly taken by by Peter Fulton at second slip.

McIntosh had scored his 167 in 293 minutes from 248 balls, 116 of the runs from 26 fours and two sixes.

As if in sympathy Nash and Kyle Mills went on the defensive as Bond and Martin made a brave effort with the new ball. In ten overs they allowed Auckland only 19 runs.

But they could not break the Mills-Nash stand, and once the bowling lost its edge Nash and Mills resumed normal service, hammering fours as they took their unbeaten fourth wicket stand to 99.

Besides Martin and Bond, James Ward had some bowling distinction for his lbw decision against Pocock gave Ward his first wicket in big cricket.

Peter Fulton, the other debutant, bowled some tidy medium-pace overs, but he did not have any luck and missed King's wicket through a dropped catch.

With the pitch playing easily, Auckland may bat on tomorrow, perhaps with the hope of scoring a dominating first innings - and then try and dismiss Canterbury twice. However, with two day's play left, an Auckland declaration at the start this morning might be a necessary step toward an outright win for either side.

© CricInfo