Long Solway to the top for brilliant Blue

The day that New South Wales batter Daniel Solway feared might never arrive after he lost his Blues' rookie contract four years ago was crowned with a flawless, unbeaten century.

In his first Sheffield Shield outing, and with his team in early strife against South Australia, Solway continued the form that has him installed as a leading light of the second XI competition to finish 129 not out at stumps.

Not only did the regular opener adapt to a new role at number three to lift NSW from a wobbly start to 7-274 at the close, he did so against a potent swing bowling attack led by former Test seamer Chadd Sayers who snared his best figures in almost three seasons (6-55).

A beaming Solway admitted Friday night that even though he maintained hope that his runs-scoring exploits at second XI and Premier Cricket level might one day earn him senior selection, he also harboured fears an opportunity might never arrive.

"I always hoped it would, but there was definitely times when I thought my chance was over," he said.

"But I kept training, kept trying hard and always had that faith that I would get there.

"I was just stoked when I got my cap, I didn’t think the day would ever come.

"Then to walk off at the end of the day … I was pretty happy."

Solway is the first NSW batter to score a century in his maiden Shield innings since Kurtis Patterson's 157 against Western Australia in 2011-12.

The previous player to have notched a ton in his debut first-class innings at first-drop for NSW was Eric Lukeman who made his maiden appearance in the immediate aftermath of World War Two.

However, Lukeman achieved the rare feat (also against South Australia at Adelaide Oval) having gone to the crease after an opening stand of 138.

Solway's introduction to first-class cricket came after in-form opener Daniel Hughes had his middle stump uprooted for a duck by Sayers in the innings' fifth over, with just eight runs on the scoreboard.

Solway then watched from the non-strikers' end as Hughes's opening partner Nick Larkin succumbed to the same fate as Sayers swing the ball both ways with typically immaculate control.

As wickets continued to fall him around him, Solway played scarcely a false stroke and reached his hundred from the 229th delivery he faced, to raucous applause from his NSW teammates.

He claimed that while the intense competition for places in the NSW first XI made life tough for those on the periphery, the quality of the training among such high quality players meant he felt well prepared for his debut appearance.

"It makes you feel confident going into the game, and I feel like you develop your game a bit more by having to score those runs (at lower levels) and practice against the best," he said.

Solway, who is employed as a game development manager with Cricket NSW, had initially earned a rookie contract with the Blues in 2015-16.

But it's been weight of runs over the past two seasons that has seen the 24-year-old gain a senior call-up with David Warner and Steve Smith on international duty, and Patterson continuing his recovery from a quadriceps injury.

Solway is currently second-highest runs scorer in the Toyota Second XI competition (behind Queensland's Bryce Street) with a highest score of 195 not out opening the batting against Western Australia.

The compact right-hander has averaged more than 50 in the second XI competition since the start of the 2017-18 summer.

Image Id: 9925855AD1B54BA9BBCAB58280294A7C Image Caption: New Blues Solway (left) and Gilkes // Getty

His debut was a stark contrast to that of 20-year-old Matt Gilkes who had earned his maiden Blues cap in the Marsh One-Day Cup competition earlier this summer and belted 82 from 51 balls against a WA attack that featured Jhye Richardson, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Andrew Tye and Marcus Stoinis.

However, Gilkes' first Sheffield Shield knock yielded a 21-ball duck when he edged a late outswinger from Sayers to keeper Harry Nielsen which left NSW in some discomfort at 4-106.

That position deteriorated further soon after when Nick Bertus steered a rising delivery from Wes Agar to Tom Andrews at third slip.

But a 108-run sixth-wicket stand between Solway and his skipper Peter Nevill (53) led the visitors to safer waters despite the disciplined attack maintained by SA's four seamers.

Sayers, who made his Test debut at the end of last year's scandal-tinged South Africa tour, admitted that he is at the opposite end of the career spectrum to Solway.

And that his hopes of adding to his international match tally are effectively finished barring a remarkable turn of events, with Australia now brimming with fast bowling options at Test level.

"My aim now is just to enjoy playing for South Australia, and taking wickets and putting us in positions to win games," Sayers said on Friday.

"The Aussie side is going really good and has got a lot of star bowlers, so I think I'm a fair way down the rank at the moment."