A maiden first class century by Yorkshire-born Charlie Hemphrey has put Queensland in a strong position at stumps on day two in the Sheffield Shield match against South Australia at the Gabba.

The Bulls finished the day on 8/354 with a first innings lead of 124 thanks largely to Hemphrey’s gritty ton.

The 25-year-old, who made his state debut against Victoria last month, hit 11 fours on his way to 118 in his fifth Sheffield Shield start.

He shared a 122-run partnership with Peter Forrest (54) to guide Queensland out of the potentially precarious position of 3/59 at the beginning of the day.

Prior to gaining Australian citizenship last year, Hemphrey played second division county cricket in England but rated this knock as one of the most satisfying of his career.

“It was a case of doing the hard work and then cashing in when the bowling got a little tired,” he said.

“It was even overnight and the first session today was important, it was good that we got through that.

“It certainly put the ball in our court.”

But it wasn’t easy going.

Hemphrey and Forrest survived a number of close appeals before grafting their way to 3/132 at lunch.

Forrest fell to a sharp slips catch by Tom Cooper off Mark Cosgrove (1/22) in the second session with the score at 4/179.

All-rounder Jack Wildermuth (42) and skipper James Hopes (24) added quick runs in the final session before being dismissed in the same over by Trent Lawford (3/96).

The last-placed Redbacks were bowled out for 230 on day one with Hopes (4/38) and tall seamer Peter George (3/47) doing the damage.

While both teams are out of contention for the Sheffield Shield final, a win will guarantee fourth place on the table for Queensland.