ST JOHN'S, Antigua (CMC):

West Indies made an unsteady start to their first innings, following Paul Collingwood's eighth Test hundred which put England in control of the third Test yesterday.

West Indies, replying to England's first innings total of 566 for nine declared, reached 55 for one at the close on the second day of the Test at the Antigua Recreation Ground.

West Indies captain Chris Gayle was a wicket his side could ill-afford to lose and he paid the price for typically cavalier batting in the 14 overs before stumps were drawn.

West Indies efforts to get back into the Test were upset when Collingwood got his groove back to hit a purposeful 113 that dominated the day's play.

The home team were ragged throughout the day and paid a hefty price on the docile pitch, which allowed Collingwood to share three stands of 50 runs or more along the way.

Kevin Pietersen scored 51, Stuart Broad made 44, Matt Prior got 39 and Graeme Swann was not out on 20.

Jerome Taylor collected two wickets for 73 runs from 28 overs, Fidel Edwards snared two for 75 from 26 overs and Ryan Hinds poached two for 86 from 22.2 overs.

Gayle and fellow left-handed opener Devon Smith did not look troubled in the 45 minutes they spent together, except when Andrew Flintoff, in particular, made the ball leap from a spot just back-of-a-length where the centre circle of a football marking on the field had crossed the pitch.

Things started to happen when Steve Harmison replaced James Anderson at the northern end after the eighth over of the innings.

Gayle blindly hooked Harmison's second delivery - a no-ball - over deep fine leg for a six way out of the ground and in some bushes on the other side of the road running behind the ground.

A few balls later, Gayle swatted another no-ball, one bounce, into the mid-wicket boundary for the last of his five fours when Harmison again dug in short.

But the West Indies captain was outfoxed next delivery when he drove loosely - weight on the back-foot - at a slower ball from Harmison and was caught at mid-off,leaving Devon Smith and night-watchman Daren Powell to carry the torch until the close.

Earlier, West Indies continued to feel the pinch before lunch, as Collingwood and Pietersen strengthened England's hold on the Test.

At the interval, England had reached 391 for four after West Indies had an early and expected success.

Fidel Edwards struck in the second over of the morning, when he had Anderson caught behind for four, after England resumed from their overnight total of 301 for three.

Edwards bowled with much venom and both Pietersen and Collingwood had to endure a torrid time before he was removed immediately following the drinks break.

The West Indies fast bowler had a chance to remove the unusually subdued Pietersen when the batsman, on 25, gave a difficult return chance looking to drive a low full toss.

Edwards then made Collingwood fend a first-ball snorter, but unfortunately it plopped down just short of the slip fielders.

Hinds bowled the final over before lunch and this gave Collingwood the luxury to reach his 50 when he cut a short delivery through square cover for a single.

482 for seven at tea

After lunch, Jerome Taylor claimed two wickets and Brendan Nash collected his first Test scalp to slow England down.

At tea, the visitors had reached 482 for seven with Collingwood 13 away from his landmark.

Taylor snared the prized scalps of Pietersen for 51 and Flintoff for a second-ball duck in the first half-hour, then Nash added the wicket of Matt Prior for 39 in the last 10 minutes before the break.

Taylor broke through when he bowled Pietersen on the back-foot to a pitched-up delivery in the eighth over after lunch and then bowled Flintoff also on the back-foot to a ball that kept low to leave England 405 for six.

For the next hour and a half, however, West Indies were held up when Prior joined Collingwood and they added 62 for the seventh wicket to consolidate England's position. But Nash claimed his first Test scalp and ended the stand when he had Prior caught at deep mid-off just before the break.

After tea, West Indies continued to leak runs and England fortified their position with their batsmen now chasing quick runs.

Hinds was again the bowler when Collingwood, much to the delight of a crowd of mainly holidaying British visitors, reached his landmark when he turned his 186th ball into square leg for a single.

West Indies succeeded when they claimed Broad and Collingwood, but things had long fallen apart before the declaration came.

ENGLAND 1st Innings

(overnight 301 for three)

A. Strauss c and b Edwards	169
A. Cook c D.S. Smith bGayle	52
O. Shah run out (Taylor)	57
K. Pietersen b Taylor	51
J. Anderson c wkpr Ramdin b Edwards	4
P. Collingwood c D.S. Smith b Hinds	113
A. Flintoff b Taylor	0
+M. Prior c Chanderpaul b Nash	39
S. Broad c wkpr Ramdin b Hinds	44
G. Swann not out	20
Extras (b10, lb1, w1, nb5) 17 TOTAL (9 wkts decl'd, 165.2 overs) 566 S. Harmison did not bat Fall of wickets: 1-123 (Cook), 2-276 (Shah), 3-295 (Strauss), 4-311 (Anderson), 5-405 (Pietersen), 6-405 (Flintoff), 7-467 (Prior), 8-529 (Broad), 9-568 (Collingwood). Bowling: Taylor 28-7-73-2 (nb1); Edwards 26-2-75-2 (nb3, w1); Powell 26-3-103-0;Gayle 13-1-41-1; Benn 39-5-143-0 (nb1); Hinds 22.2-4-86-2; Nash 11-2-34-1. WEST INDIES 1st Innings C. Gayle c Anderson b Harmison	30
D. Smith not out	10
D. Powell not out	2
Extras (b4, w1, nb8)	13
TOTAL (1 wkt, 13 overs)	55
R. Sarwan, R. Hinds, S. Chanderpaul, B. Nash, +D. Ramdin, J. Taylor, S. Benn, F. Edwards to bat.

Fall of wickets: 1-45 (Gayle)

Bowling: Anderson 4-0-9-0 (nb2, w1); Flintoff 5-0-22-0 (nb3); Harmison 3-0-18-1 (nb3); Broad 1-0-2-0.

Position: West Indies trail by 511 runs with nine first innings wickets standing.

Umpires: R. Koertzen, D. Harper, TV Replays: N. Malcolm, Reserve: C. Mack.

Match Referee: A. Hurst.