A PAINSTAKING century by Mal Loye of Northamptonshire gave England A the upperhand over Zimbabwe A on Tuesday, the first day of a five-day Test in Bulawayo. Loye batted through all but six overs of the day for his unbeaten 122, which included 17 boundaries. His effort on an easy paced wicket enabled England A to reach 256/4 by end of play. England A skipper Mike Vaughan made 64, including 11 fours. Two periods of play were lost because of rain. However, Zimbabwe A still bowled more than a hundred overs.