It is a Test-match tradition in Georgetown Cricket Club's wonderful old wooden pavilion at Bourda that as soon as a century-maker completes his innings, his name is emblazoned on an honours board.

Four years ago, when England last played West Indies in Guyana, the signwriter was a busy man as Mike Atherton, Brian Lara and Jimmy Adams all made big hundreds. He had his brushes ready at the close of play yesterday as Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 100 not out, made England pay for missed chances and a high-risk selection policy. The West Indies finished the day on 271 for 3, firmly in control of this fourth Test. Carl Hooper, 36 not out, will join Chanderpaul at the crease when play resumes this morning.

With Lara winning the toss for the first time in the series, West Indies lost both openers cheaply and were made to work hard for their runs before lunch.

But in the afternoon, as the sun beat down like a blacksmith's hammer on an anvil, the England bowlers were roasted as Lara and Chanderpaul, carefully at first and then expansively, put together a third-wicket partnership of 159. Even at that early stage their stand threatened to take the game away from England.

With scores of 55, 17, 42 and 47 on poor pitches in the two Trinidad Tests, Lara has been quietly effective rather than spectacular. But yesterday's 93 brought the first signs of the return of the great destructive batsman, an innings that was chanceless over the course of 256 minutes until he smeared Robert Croft's off-spin to extra cover where Graham Thorpe completed a spectacular catch.

In all Lara hit 13 fours and two sixes, one pulled mercilessly to the leg side when Dean Headley dropped the merest smidgeon short and the other, off Croft, achieving splashdown in the Sandals inflatable swimming pool at deep midwicket. Some of Lara's strokeplay off Phil Tufnell's left-arm spin bordered on the disdainful.

Meanwhile Chanderpaul, who made his debut as a teenager in that century-studded Test four years ago, twice benefitted from misses of very different degrees of difficulty at second slip by Alec Stewart, both chances coming off Angus Fraser.

The missed chances were expensive. The first, before lunch when Chanderpaul had made only nine, was straightforward as he pushed tentatively outside off stump; the second, when 54 immediately after tea, was low and away to Stewart's left but even so the fielder almost held on to it.

There is a well-worn old maxim to do with not mending things if they ain't broke, and it might well come back to haunt England. They look to be in line to pay a heavy price for changing a three-seamer strategy. Seduced by the prospect of a dry pitch, England opted to place their bowling eggs into the spin basket by picking both Croft and Tufnell, making room by omitting Andy Caddick.

This pitch offered some pace and good bounce - the sort West Indies might have exploited had they bowled first. Already the ball is breaking through the crust and although West Indies included Dinanath Ramnarine at the expense of the paceman Nixon McLean, it is conceivable the legspinner might not get a bowl. Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose may prove lethal on this track; the local X-ray department has surely been alerted.