Martin Love today led an Australia A onslaught which demonstrated England had done nothing to solve its bowling problems.

Love, who's become a serial tormentor of the tourists, hit an unbeaten 201 as the Australians cruised to 3-353 declared on the first day of the three-day match, England's only opportunity to find form before the second Test in Adelaide.

The tourists were 1-50 in reply at stumps.

After hitting an unbeaten 250 for Queensland against England a fortnight ago, Love continued to underline his status as the best top order batsman outside the Test team.

Admittedly England rested two of its frontline bowlers, Andy Caddick and Ashley Giles.

But it did use two of its formerly walking wounded, Steve Harmison and Andrew Flintoff, and replacement Alex Tudor. Two of the three are likely to be picked for Adelaide.

Oddly Chris Silverwood, who was flown out from England this week as another replacement, was made 12th man and is presumably not in the Test frame.

The pace attack's performance left assistant coach Graham Dilley exasperated.

"On a flat track you have very little margin for error," the former England fast bowler said.

"You need discipline, patience and luck and we're nowhere near any of those."

Love agreed the English bowlers didn't make the most of the early conditions, bowling too short and wide.

However he warned that Harmison, with whom he's played at Durham, could turn matches on his good days.

Harmison was by far the quickest, but consistency was not his forte.

Love said he didn't know how close he was to a Test debut.

"All I can do is keep scoring runs and putting pressure on the guys in the team," said Love, who faced 243 balls and hit 25 fours in just 301 minutes.

Acting captain Marcus Trescothick continued the English habit of sending the Australians in and, as usual, lived to regret it.

In a willing opening burst on an initially lively Bellerive Oval wicket, Tudor and Harmison gave England early heart.

Matthew Elliott had an unhappy return to this level when a rising Tudor delivery crunched into his right elbow on the first ball of the match.

He needed stitches, but an x-ray cleared him of serious injury and he could have returned to the crease.

Shortly afterwards Tudor caught Jimmy Maher's edge and the Australia A captain was gone for six.

But once the first hour was weathered, the bowling attack fell away and Love and Greg Blewett, who was not at his fluent best, put on 140.

Blewett was bowled by Craig White for only 25 but England's woes continued when 21-year-old Michael Clarke arrived.

Clarke played beautifully, at times contemptuously, and will surely play for Australia one day.

Love and Clarke piled on 123 in 112 minutes before the NSW batsman, having rushed to his half century with two fours off Tudor, skied a slog.

The appearance of Marcus North simply lifted the scoring rate further and it was the Western Australian lefthander who provided the final fireworks.

Before the declaration ended the slaughter, he rushed to 33 with an on-drive over the boundary followed by a reverse sweep for four.

England lost Michael Vaughan for eight when he inside edged Brad Williams onto his stumps.

But Trescothick (5) and the aggressive Mark Butcher (30) survived until stumps without serious alarms.

© 2002 AAP

This report does not necessarily represent the views of the Australian Cricket Board.