James Vince made his highest England Lions score in a vital century partnership with Jonathan Trott.

Vince made 78 as the first unofficial Test against South Africa A drifted into stalemate and towards a predictable draw.

He shared a 165-run stand with Trott finished the penultimate day with 176 – his 37th first class century – as the Lions reached 507-6 to edge ahead of South Africa, who posted an imposing 504-8 declared.

The pair lifted the Lions from an uncertain 67-3 to 232-4, when Vince edged Northants-bound Rory Kleinveldt to slip to give the one-time Hampshire player his third of a four-wicket haul.

His second Lions’ fifty surpasses the 63 he made in a 50-over match against Bangladesh A 17 months ago as his highest score in 27 innings.

Vince said he was satisfied with the way he batted, stressing the importance of “getting himself in and becoming accustomed to the conditions.”

“We were in a bit of trouble when I came in at 67-3, so it was essential I got my head down, got the pace and bounce of the pitch and, above all, spent some time in the middle.

“South Africa A have a quality attack, so building a partnership with Trotty was crucial.

“He hasn’t seen much of me batting before, but we both went about our own game, playing in our individual styles – but with the same goal: bit by bit building a big partnership and securing a large total.

“I needed to be a little circumspect batting after tea on that second evening. I played one or two nice boundary cover drives, but felt a lot more fluid yesterday and was pleased with a couple of shots I played which always helps the confidence.”

Vince faced 171 balls and hit 12 fours before falling to Kleinveldt, who played briefly for Hampshire in 2008 while the Lions’ man was learning his trade with the Ageas Bowl academy.

Trott’s first England century since a pre-Ashes warm-up match against a Western Australia Chairman’s XI at the start of the ill-fated 2013/14 tour ensured the tourists take a three-run lead into the final day.

Seldom offering a chance, Trott – who played at Paarl for Boland in 2001, immediately after finishing his schooling at Rondebosch Boys’ High in Cape Town – crafted a trademark unbeaten innings which has so far lasted over nine hours in searing heat !

After Vince departed, Trott enjoyed back-to-back century partnerships with Jonny Bairstow (63) and Adil Rashid (78).