DORSET opener Sam Collins recorded his maiden Minor Counties century on the second day of their Championship clash with Herefordshire at Colwall.

The Parley batsman brought up his ton during the afternoon session as the visitors grabbed a first-innings lead of 31 in the Western Division contest.

Collins was eventually dismissed having been bowled by Barney Morgan for 129 after 87.2 overs at the crease.

His stay lasted five hours and eight minutes, with a whopping 280 deliveries faced in total.

Collins and Dorset skipper Chris Park (83) put on a mammoth stand of 158 for the fourth wicket before the away side looked to accelerate their scoring rate late in their innings.

With Alex Eckland (22), Jigar Naik (13no) and Mark Wolstenholme (12no) all chipping in, the visitors closed on 293 for six from their allotted 90 overs, in reply to Herefordshire’s 262 all out first time round.

And Dorset put themselves well in the box seat at the close, reducing the home team to 117-8 in their second innings with a slender Herefordshire lead of 86 going into the final day.

Naik, who picked up five wickets first time round, was again the most effective bowler for the visitors, claiming six for 44.