Resuming at 237 for one wicket with Kirsten on 98 and Jacques Kallis on 117, South Africa remorselessly ground the tiring England attack into near submission.

Just three wickets fell all day. Captain Hansie Cronje was 27 not out at the close with Jonty Rhodes on 12. Kirsten posted South Africa's highest individual Test score since their readmission to world cricket in April 1992 when he passed Andrew Hudson's 163 made in the one-off Test against the West Indies in Barbados.

On a day of records, Kirsten installed himself at the top of the list of `long innings' for his country, passing the 575 minutes Jackie McGlew took to score 105 against Australia in Durban in 1957-58.

By the time Kirsten was caught by Alec Stewart off Angus Fraser, his innings had lasted 650 minutes in which he faced 525 balls and hit 24boundaries with one six a top-edged hook of the persevering Dominic Cork.

It was only his country's ninth double century in Tests with only seven men reaching the landmark. Graeme Pollock and Dudley Nourse both scored double centuries for South Africa.

SCOREBOARD

South Africa (1st innings; overnight 237-1): G Kirsten c Stewart b Fraser 210, G Liebenberg b Gough 16, J Kallis b Gough 132, D Cullinan b Giles 75, H Cronje batting 27, J Rhodes batting 12; Extras (b3, lb6, nb5, w1) 15. Total: (for four wickets, 187 overs) 487
Fall of wickets: 1-25 2-263 3-439 4-457
Bowling: Gough 31-4-95-2 (4nb, 1w), Cork 35-7-103-0 (1nb), Fraser 32-11-72-1, Croft 48-14-85-0, Giles 36-7-106-1, Ramprakash 5-0-17-0.