If conditions at Lincoln Green were only the start of the summer watch out for the main event.

Temperatures hovered around 25-28 degrees celsius for much of the day as the New Zealand Cricket Academy and Otago did battle on a perfect early season pitch at Lincoln University.

While most interest on the day centred on the return of Chris Cairns to the bowling crease, his exposure was minimal, just managing one with the bat, as the New Zealand Academy managed to bat out most of the day on the first day of a two-day game in which Otago is giving playing time to 15 of its players and the Academy 12.

Instead it was his CLEAR Black Caps team-mate, left-arm medium-fast Shayne O'Connor who took most satisfaction from the day. He took five wickets in a highly encouraging day in which he too is making a comeback from injury.

For the Academy side, Nathan McCullum did very well in stemming what had been a top order collapse when there was just a little spice in the wicket. He scored 57 before being trapped leg before wicket by O'Connor.

Brendon McCullum then backed up with 53 before he was stumped by Martyn Croy from Nathan Morland's bowling. Brendon McCullum was given good support in a sixth wicket stand of 80 with Jonathan McNamee while Luke Woodcock helped Nathan McCullum add 65 for the eighth wicket.

No 11 Wade Cornelius (33) helped add 50 runs for the last wicket with Sam Whiteman, and left the final total at 289.

The exercise of New Zealand's major associations scheduling early season games at the High Performance Centre has been vindicated again with superb conditions that would have done justice to the middle of summer let alone this early in the season.

Ground manager Karl Johnson said the dry spring in Canterbury meant grass wickets have been available for training purposes since September 10, an almost unheard of event in most other centres around the country.

Earlier in the innings Nick Horsley had scored 36.

At stumps Otago had raced to 46 for one in seven overs in reply.

© CricInfo