LONDON, England (CMC):

West Indies dropped a plethora of catches that helped Ravi Bopara stroke a vital unbeaten hundred and allowed England to escape with a decent opening day position in the first Test yesterday at Lord's.

Fiery West Indies fast bowler Fidel Edwards delivered a three-wicket burst after tea that rocked England but the home side went on to close at 289 for seven with Bopara not out on 118.

The Caribbean side displayed very loose out-cricket as the day wore on and dropped six catches - Bopara profiting twice - that limited Edwards to only four wickets when he should have had more.

Edwards claimed four for 53 off 19 overs with four maidens.

New position

Promoted to No. 3, Bopara embraced his new position with his second consecutive Test hundred and shared in three vital half-century stands that combined with woeful West Indies catching to enhance the home side's position.

Sent to bat, England's openers started positively and appeared comfortable. But West Indies struck a good blow in the seventh over when Jerome Taylor dislodged captain Andrew Strauss for 16.

Named this week as England's Player of the Year, Strauss flashed at a delivery outside his off-stump and edged a catch to wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin at 28 for one.

The home side steadied their innings to reach 52 for one at the drinks break and had no further glitches before the break with Cook and Bopara staging an unbroken stand.

Rapid breakthrough

West Indies made a rapid breakthrough after lunch when Edwards - slinging deliveries near the 90 miles per-hour mark regularly - dislodged Alastair Cook and top batsman Kevin Pietersen with successive deliveries and reduced England to 92 for three from their comfortable lunch-time position of 88 for one.

Fresh from a resolute Indian Premier League (IPL) effort for Deccan Chargers, Edwards bowled Cook (35) off the inside edge after the left-hander had added 64 for the second wicket with Bopara.

Cook had added just one to his lunch-time score and Edwards' next delivery was a beauty that befuddled Pietersen.

Shuffling and twisting to contend with a late swinging full-pitched ball, Pietersen edged a very low catch that Ramdin took one-handed, diving superbly to his right.

It became 109 for four when Paul Collingwood edged a delivery from Edwards - that left him - to Devon Smith at second slip.

Bopara, lucky to survive a leg before wicket appeal as he pushed forward to left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn when he was 40, had two other escapes when he was dropped on 76 and again on 100.

Floored a chance

The usually safe Brendan Nash floored a chance at square leg off Edwards when Bopara was on 76 and immediately after he reached triple figures, Devon Smith failed to clutch a chance at slip off Lionel Baker.

Edwards bagged his fourth wicket when Matt Prior (42) drove to Lendl Simmons at cover at 193 for five, to end an 84-run stand with Bopara.

Broad hit a fortuitous 38 laced with five dropped chances - three times off Edwards - that contributed to a 69-run sixth-wicket partnership with Bopara, before Benn had him caught by Taylor at gully moments after the lanky Barbadian had floored a return catch off the England No. 7.

During his partnership with Broad, Bopara stroked a delivery from Baker to reach his hundred off 210 balls with 12 boundaries, complementing his century in the last Test against West Indies in Trinidad two months ago.

Will resume batting

Bopara and Graeme Swann (7) will resume batting for England on today's second day.

Benn claimed his second wicket by trapping debutant Tim Bresnan (9) lbw to finish the day with two for 80 off 26 overs. Taylor has one for 57 off 17.

Apart from Nash and Smith, Benn (twice), captain Chris Gayle and Ramdin were also culprits in the flurry of dropped catches.

West Indies, who wrested the Wisden Trophy from England in the Caribbean two months ago, omitted Dave Bernard, Narsingh Deonarine, Nelon Pascal, Dale Richards, Andrew Richardson and Darren Sammy from their side.

England handed Test debuts to the fast-bowling pair of Bresnan and Graham Onions.

ENGLAND 1st innings

To bat: J Anderson, G Onions

Fall of wickets: 1-28 (Strauss), 2-92 (Cook), 3-92 (Pietersen), 4-109 (Collingwood), 5-193 (Prior), 6-262 (Broad), 7-275 (Bresnan).

Bowling: Taylor 17-2-57-1 (2nb,1w); Edwards 19-4-53-4 (4nb,1w); Baker 18-4-59-0 (2w); Benn 26-4-80-2; Nash 2-1-2-0; Simmons 5-1-24-0; Gayle 3-0-11-0.

Umpires: Steve Davis, Asoka de Silva

Match Referee: Andy Pycroft

Toss: West Indies

West Indies team: C Gayle, D Smith, R Sarwan, L Simmons, S Chanderpaul, B Nash, D Ramdin, J Taylor, S Benn, F Edwards, L Baker.

Toss: West Indies.