Jacob Oram hit his maiden Test century as New Zealand scored 509, a first innings lead of 50, before South Africa checked their progress on the fourth day of the first Test on Saturday.

South Africa arrested the slide with a partnership of 92 between Herschelle Gibbs and Jacques Kallis and at close of play, with Gibbs out, they were 134 for three, a lead of 84. Kallis was unbeaten on 56 and Neil McKenzie on 11.

Oram finished unbeaten on 119 when New Zealand were all out early in the afternoon session in reply to South Africa's first innings total of 459. He reached his first Test hundred off 191 balls in 276 minutes and hit 16 fours.

South Africa were quickly in trouble in their second innings when they lost captain Graeme Smith, who waved at a ball from Daryl Tuffey and got a faint edge to wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum for five.

One run later, left-hander Jacques Rudolph was bowled by Chris Cairns and Gibbs and Kallis came together with South Africa reeling at 16 for two.

The pair batted commendably as they attempted to wrest the initiative away from New Zealand on a pitch offering good turn and the awkward crumbling patch outside the right-handers' leg stump.

Gibbs finally succumbed for 47 to the off-spin of Paul Wiseman, getting an edge through to McCullum, who juggled twice before securing the catch.

Kallis reached his second half-century of the match and soon after survived a caught-behind off Craig McMillan's bowling when on 52 in the penultimate over of the day.

A number of records fell during the day with New Zealand's total of 509 their biggest against South Africa, beating the 505 scored at Cape Town in 1953-54.

Shaun Pollock's two wickets in two balls to end the innings equalled Alan Donald's record for South Africa of 330.

Resuming at 361 for seven overnight, Oram and his partner Daniel Vettori completed a 113-run partnership for the seventh wicket, easily eclipsing the 74-run record for the same wicket against South Africa, posted in Johannesburg in 1994-95 by Shane Thomson and Dion Nash.

Scoreboard

South Africa (1st innings): 459

New Zealand (1st innings):
M. Richardson lbw Pollock 4
M. Papps lbw Kallis 59
S. Fleming lbw Adams 27
S. Styris b Pollock 74
C. McMillan lbw Kallis 19
C. Cairns c Boucher b Ntini 28
J. Oram not out 119
B. McCullum c Boucher b Kallis 57
D. Vettori b Adams 53
P. Wiseman b Pollock 36
D. Tuffey c Boucher b Pollock 0.

Extras: (b-12, lb-11, nb-10) 33

Total: (all out, 164.4 overs) 509

Fall of wickets: 1-20, 2-75, 3-127, 4-172, 5-223, 6-225, 7-309, 8-422, 9-509.

Bowling: Pollock 30.4-4-98-4 (nb-7), Ntini 29-9-74-1 (nb-1), Kallis 26-7-71-3, Nel 27-8-91-0 (nb-2), Adams 45-11-118-2, Rudolph 5-0-20-0, Smith 2-0-14-0.

South Africa (2nd innings):
G. Smith c McCullum b Tuffey 5
H. Gibbsc McCullum b Wiseman 47
J. Rudolph b Cairns 0
J. Kallis not out 56
N. McKenzie not out 11.

Extras: (b-8, lb-5, nb-2) 15

Total: (for three wickets, 52 overs) 134

Fall of wickets: 1-15, 2-16, 3-108.

Bowling: Tuffey 9-2-14-1 (nb-1), Oram 7-4-9-0, Cairns 6-0-22-1 (nb-1), Vettori 14-7-22-0, Wiseman 7-0-35-1, Styris 8-3-14-0, McMillan 1-0-5-0.