Marais came to the crease in the first session and 22nd over with Iinyathi on 50 for three, having lost Butsha Mfazwe (7) trapped leg before by Divan Posthumous, Lihle Sizani (4) bowled by Posthumous and Niemand (30) whose timber was rattled by Tumelo Simelane.
Marais with 27 runs and Chris Gleaves (7) weathered that mini-collapse, taking the home side to 81/3 at lunch.
The talk in the Buffaloes dressing room would have been to avoid losing early wickets after the interval.
But three balls into the second session, Gleaves was sent packing by Simelane for seven runs.
Keeran Forbes did not trouble the scorers as he followed for a 12-ball duck just after Marais had reached his fifty.
Marais with Mncedisi Malika reconstructed the Iinyathi innings going at almost four runs an over.
Marais reached his first hundred of the campaign with just a few overs until tea.
He had put on 80 runs with Malika when the Iinyathi went to tea at 188/5.
They continued after tea with Marais the aggressor, and he reached 150 runs off 151 balls in the 73rd over.
Three overs later, Malika reached his fifty as he and Marais took their partnership past the 200 mark.
But Marais got out just 30 runs short of a double century, dismissed by Andrew Rasemene.
The left-handed Malika was on 90 at the close and will look to push on to a century on Friday morning.
He will resume play with Jade de Klerk, who has 19.
DispatchLIVE
Marais century puts Iinyathi in driver’s seat against Storm
East Cape side finished the day on 344/6 at Buffalo Park
Image: GALLO IMAGES/ LEE WARREN
If there is any player in the CSA Division 2 four-day competition oozing form now it is Eastern Cape Iinyathi’s Marco Marais.
Marais, who has a highest first-class career score of 300 not out, will likely feel close to the best form of his life despite being part of a Iinyathi team that has largely struggled to shift through the gears with the bat this season.
Shortly before stumps on day one, Marais was dismissed for 170, becoming the tournament’s leading run-scorer, surpassing the Tuskers’ Michael Erlank (299).
Iinyathi finished the day against the Eastern Storm on 344/6, a score the camp would have been happy with after their captain Christopher Gleaves opted to bat after winning the toss.
Image: RANDELL ROSKRUGE
Marais came to the crease in the first session and 22nd over with Iinyathi on 50 for three, having lost Butsha Mfazwe (7) trapped leg before by Divan Posthumous, Lihle Sizani (4) bowled by Posthumous and Niemand (30) whose timber was rattled by Tumelo Simelane.
Marais with 27 runs and Chris Gleaves (7) weathered that mini-collapse, taking the home side to 81/3 at lunch.
The talk in the Buffaloes dressing room would have been to avoid losing early wickets after the interval.
But three balls into the second session, Gleaves was sent packing by Simelane for seven runs.
Keeran Forbes did not trouble the scorers as he followed for a 12-ball duck just after Marais had reached his fifty.
Marais with Mncedisi Malika reconstructed the Iinyathi innings going at almost four runs an over.
Marais reached his first hundred of the campaign with just a few overs until tea.
He had put on 80 runs with Malika when the Iinyathi went to tea at 188/5.
They continued after tea with Marais the aggressor, and he reached 150 runs off 151 balls in the 73rd over.
Three overs later, Malika reached his fifty as he and Marais took their partnership past the 200 mark.
But Marais got out just 30 runs short of a double century, dismissed by Andrew Rasemene.
The left-handed Malika was on 90 at the close and will look to push on to a century on Friday morning.
He will resume play with Jade de Klerk, who has 19.
DispatchLIVE
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