Namibia put themselves in a very strong position on the first day of their Intercontinental Cup match against The Netherlands in Windhoek on Thursday after Dutch skipper Jeroen Smits, having won the toss, gambled on putting the home side in to bat.

On a ground affected by recent rain, Smits evidently hoped that the pitch would give his bowlers plenty of help, but a solid batting performance by the Namibians saw them through to 322 for five by the time bad light stopped play 38 minutes before the scheduled close.

It looked as if Smits’s move might pay off when 17-year-old opener Raymond van Schoor went for 4, caught in the slips by Daan van Bunge off the bowling of Edgar Schiferli with the total on 19, but then Jan-Berrie Burger and Sarel Burger put on 94 for the second wicket in just under 20 overs to build a solid foundation for the innings.

Sarel Burger eventually went caught behind off Mudassar Bukhari for 26, but that brought the in-form Gerrie Snyman to the wicket. Jan-Berrie Burger went soon after lunch for 81, made off 89 balls with 10 fours and two sixes, the first of two wickets for left-arm spinner Pieter Seelaar.

But Snyman now took over Burger's attacking role, his 54 coming off just 46 balls and including seven fours and two sixes, and he and skipper Louis Burger proceeded to add another 54 runs as the Dutch bowlers toiled on a pitch that turned out to be a lot more docile than they had hoped.

Once Snyman had gone, however, the run-rate slackened a little, as Burger and Craig Williams, the latter appearing in his first Intercontinental Cup match, sought to consolidate their side’s position.

Together they added another 91 in 31 overs, before Louis Burger fell to Alexei Kervezee, Smits's second victim of the day, for 57, made off 110 balls and including eight fours.

Williams, however, soon reached his half-century, and was on 71 not out (from 150 balls) at the close, with Bjorn Kotze supporting him on 16.

Left-arm spinner Pieter Seelaar was the most successful of the Dutch bowlers with two for 71, while Schiferli bowled economically with figures of one for 47 off his 21 overs.

Well on top after the first day, the Namibians will be looking to bat their opponents out of the game tomorrow morning, while the Dutch side know that their only chance of a win is now to finish the innings off quickly and then bat even better than the home side has done.