South Australia's youngest player Paul Rofe got his first five-wicket haul in first-class cricket as Western Australia was dismissed for 227 on day one of their match at Adelaide Oval today.

The 20-year-old former Australian under 19 team member bowled 23 extremely tight overs, including 11 maidens, for figures of 5-30, the best of his eight-match first class career.

Basing his attack on patience and accuracy rather than tearaway pace, Rofe said he modelled himself on Australian Test spearhead Glenn McGrath.

"I love that guy a lot, to be honest, I love watching him bowl and the way he goes about his cricket, it's fantastic," he told reporters.

Rofe's haul began in his first over, the second of the match, when he had WA opener Scott Meuleman caught in the slips from his second ball before the Warriors had scored.

Captain Simon Katich (42) joined Mike Hussey (40) and after a sluggish start their partnership blossomed late in the opening session, with 15 runs coming from the first over of part-time medium pacer Ben Johnson, the 21st of the innings.

Katich belted two consecutive sixes off Mike Smith five overs later as they took the score to a seemingly comfortable one for 86 to recover from the shaky start.

But Johnson struck back to have Hussey caught behind in the following over, then dismissed Katich in his next over, the last of the opening session, to put the Warriors back under pressure at three for 94 at lunch.

Wickets tumbled cheaply soon after lunch, with Murray Goodwin caught in the gully slashing at a wide ball from left-armer Mark Harrity.

Then Rofe chipped in to have Marcus North caught behind and Ryan Campbell caught at slip to have the Warriors six for 127, a slump of five for 41 in 20 overs either side of the lunch break.

Brad Hogg and Matt Nicholson fought back with a dogged 57-run partnership, before veteran leg spinner Peter McIntyre bowled Nicholson as he was attempting to sweep him over the midwicket fence.

Hogg was the Warriors' top-scorer with a dogged innings of 56 not out from 146 balls, although he had a life on 38 when Brad Young dropped him at first slip after he top-edged a cut shot from McIntyre's bowling.

It took the second new ball to finish off the WA tail, with Rofe bowling both Jo Angel and Brad Oldroyd in the space of two balls in his third over with the new ball to complete his five-wicket haul.

Then Harrity bowled Brad Williams to end the innings.

SA was none for six at stumps after three overs, with Young and Johnson at the crease.

© 2001 AAP