England were 50/2 after 11.5 overs of their second innings when bad light stopped play in Christchurch. The lights at the ground were turned on, but one of the light stands did not come on.

The umpires offered the batsmen the light and they promptly walked off.

It was understandable that the action should continue when England came out for their second innings. Marcus Trescothick avoided the pair when cover driving Drum for two but then he survived a poor pull shot when the ball flew hight to wide leg gully position but Adam Parore claimed ownership of the chance.

However, in attempting to take the ball he dropped it and Trescothick survived.

Ian Butler, forced into opening the bowling due to Cairns' injury produced a pearler of a ball which bowled dangerman Michael Vaughan for a duck to have England 11/1.

Mark Butcher was lucky to survive when attempting a third run off Butler. Cairns fielded the ball in the deep and threw to Mark Richardson waiting by the wickets. But he was unable to control the ball and Butcher, who was out of his ground, got home safely.

From that point, however, the pitfalls were few and far between for England until Trescothick got a little loose after taking successive fours, one pulled and one cut from Butler.

The latter brought up the 50 but two balls later, Trescothick attempted to repeat the cut Butler again but directed it straight to point.

Daniel Vettori might have been knocked off his feet in completing the catch but he held onto the ball and Trescothick was out for 33 off 44 balls.

Butler has two for 28 from six overs while the injured Chris Cairns bowled at half pace and had five runs off his two overs.

The last five New Zealand wickets fell for 30 runs as Andrew Caddick took three wickets in five balls and then Hoggard, who had bowled unchanged for 20 overs, came back to take the last two wickets and end with career-best Test and first-class figures of seven for 63.

The batting effort was as far removed from those seen in Australia earlier this summer as it was possible to be. The lack of application, the quality that everyone acknowledged was the key to scoring runs on this pitch, was a flashback to the collapses of yesteryear in New Zealand cricket.

Caddick switched to the southern end of the ground and in his second over polished off any hopes New Zealand had of taking a first innings lead.

Rather they were left with the prospect of a substantial first innings deficit.

The first ball of the over saw captain Stephen Fleming swing at a ball wide of off stump. He connected but not well enough to avoid the grasp of Ashley Giles in the gully. It was a poor effort and smacked of frustration and a lack of concentration.

Chris Cairns came out and looked as if he would far sooner be somewhere else. He was beaten by the first ball, edged the second ball just short of the slips and third ball he hit it straight to Andrew Flintoff.

Adam Parore replaced him and was hit on the pads and given out leg before wicket although the ball did look decidedly leg-sideish.

At 117/8, New Zealand were in nightmare territory, so Craig McMillan took the only option available to him - to hit out.

It nearly brought his downfall, as a catchable chance was dropped by 12th man Craig White at third man when McMillan was on 15 from Flintoff's bowling.

Caddick was charged and straight driven for four, then pulled to mid-wicket for six and after a no-ball was bowled he cover drove the last ball of the over for four.

Hoggard was brought back into the attack and after the first ball produced an attempted pull which flew over first slip for a four. Two tight balls produced defensive shots before Hoggard induced a big pull shot which was taken by Michael Vaughan just inside the long on boundary, McMillan out for 40 off 48 balls and New Zealand 146/9.

At the afternoon drinks break New Zealand were 115/5 with captain Stephen Fleming on 11 and Craig McMillan on 14.

Bowling 10 overs in the abbreviated morning session, Hoggard looked to have gorged himself on energy food when coming back out after lunch to take up where he left off.

He conceded a square drive to the boundary from Lou Vincent but then had a classic case of third time lucky, after two slips catches had been dropped earlier, when doing it all himself and bowling Vincent with a ball that swung then straightened to have him for 12.

Nathan Astle strode out and immediate cover drove Hoggard for four, played a slightly straighter shot for two and then straight drove Andrew Caddick for three. But in the next over Hoggard completed the first five wicket bag of his six-Test career by trapping Astle leg before wicket for 10.

Skipper Stephen Fleming was having all manner of problems making connection with Andrew Flintoff's bowling and was on six for 21 balls before pulling a ball to fine leg to bring up the New Zealand 100 in the 39th over.

Fleming did help bring about the end of Hoggard's spell by straight driving him to the boundary to move to 11 while Hoggard headed for a deserved break having bowled 20 overs and career best figures of five for 59.

McMillan helped himself on the way with four to long on from Hoggart's bowling while he hit Flintoff behind backward square leg and cut him to third man for fours.

Hoggard bowled unchanged during the reduced morning session and went to lunch with three for 32, but had seen Lou Vincent dropped twice, by Graham Thorpe at fourth slip and Mark Butcher at second slip. He hadn't scored on the first occasion and was on two on the second.

At lunch, New Zealand were 66/3, with nightwatchman Daniel Vettori having done by far the majority of the scoring in the 90 minutes of play. Vincent was on two and Stephen Fleming was still to score.

The first wicket of the day came when Matt Horne, after two early shots to the leg-side boundaries off Andrew Caddick and Matthew Hoggard, was tempted to drive at an outswinger from Hoggard that kept on going. It caught the edge and fourth slip Graham Thorpe dived low to hold the chance to dismiss him for 14.

He had been diffident in attempting to deal with the swinging ball and spent 81 minutes over his innings.

Daniel Vettori on the other hand was in a more attacking frame of mind. He reeled off three or four lovely cover and square drives, the best being a superb shot through a tight off-side field from Andrew Flintoff, after he had decided to bowl around the wicket to Vettori.

He attempted to surpass that with successive straight drives from Caddick, the first four four and the second for three.

Lou Vincent was dropped before he had scored, by Thorpe off Hoggard, a difficult chance as he dived to his right. Vincent took two runs from it.

However, Hoggard had greater reward after Vettori pulled a ball from him to wide long on for a boundary.

Hoggard changed to around the wicket and had Vettori swinging at a ball wide of off stump which was easily taken by wicket-keeper James Foster.

He scored 42, off 56 balls, and took his average against England to just over 30.0. New Zealand were 65/3 at that point.

Early movement, and bite off a still green pitch, made life perilous for the unwary but when drinks were taken after 45 minutes of a reduced first session, New Zealand were 37/1 with Daniel Vettori on 29 and Matthew Horne 14.

New Zealand made a quiet start to the second day after overnight rain delayed the start by 75 minutes.

Vettori provided Matthew Hoggard with an early reminder that he can't afford errant direction. In one over, he hit four over the slips cordon, then square drove a boundary off the next ball and then tucked two behind square to pick up 10 runs.

By comparison, opening batsman Matthew Horne was having more problems coping with the swinging ball, again largely from Hoggard's bowling. He started off well when turning an early ball for four through square leg and was quick to take advantage of an indifferent start from Andrew Caddick, also clipping him for four behind square.

Caddick only bowled three overs in the first half of the session.

Sessions today are from 11.45am until 1.15pm, 1.55pm-3.55pm and 4.15pm and 6.30pm with play starting 15 minutes early tomorrow at 10.15am.

The rain stopped earlier in the morning and groundstaff were able to start their pitch preparations 30 minutes before the scheduled start time of 10.30am.

New Zealand were 9/1 at the end of the first day's play in response to England's 228.

The umpires, Asoka de Silva and Brent Bowden looked at the ground at 10.30am and said they would have a look at 11am with a view to an 11.30am start.

If that is the case, play will be extended an hour until 6.30pm.

Overhead conditions are still cloudy and light may become a factor during the day. However, there are ground lights that can be used.

Temperatures are cool but the weather forecast is for showers to clear.