It's been a long time coming but Canterbury captain Gary Stead is going to have to wait until another day before ending the frustration associated with trying to break a 17-game streak without a win today.

His Canterbury side, having been batted into an impregnable position by Chris Harris and Aaron Redmond yesterday, was three wickets short of victory after Wellington's eighth wicket pairing of Chris Nevin and Andrew Penn batted for 93 minutes to achieve a draw.

Since the start of the 1999/00 season Stead has been without luck, but it got so much closer to turning around today that the moral victory taken should bear fruit in the near future.

Canterbury could take plenty out of the game.

When Wellington were 29/7 in their first innings, it was going to take a miracle for Wellington to come back, and it couldn't. The target of 410 it needed to win was too much for it at Rangiora's Dudley Park.

When four-day cricket was adopted for the New Zealand domestic programme, these were the sorts of games that were dreamed about.

It had a little bit of everything. Three fine centuries, each a gem in its own way, good bowling, by Wade Cornelius and Ash Turner who had career-best performances of substantial quality so early in their careers.

There were plenty of overs by spin bowlers on the last day as Canterbury probed for victory, as Wellington attempted to set up a winning chase and as it ultimately batted to save the game.

You can't ask for much more.

Wellington went into their second innings knowing they had to achieve the fourth highest run chase in domestic cricket history in New Zealand by posting 410 runs.

They were given a superb start when going to lunch on 174/2 with their skipper Richard Jones on 101 not out. Jones batted in a controlled fashion throughout his innings to thoroughly deserve his fourth century for Wellington within the calendar year.

But disaster struck when he was caught at short leg by Brad Doody from off-spinner Paul Wiseman's bowling from the first ball he faced after lunch.

His loss was the last thing Wellington needed, and the reaction of Grant Donaldson, who had shared a 101-run stand for the third wicket with Jones, and new batsman Matthew Walker did nothing to help the cause. They appeared smitten with the bowling and became caste, adding only 22 runs in 55 minutes.

They loosened up when the new ball was taken but their increased action also increased the prospect of a wicket and it was Warren Wisneski who claimed his fourth leg before wicket decision of the match to remove Donaldson for 44. That was effectively the end of any Wellington considerations of victory.

Walker kept attacking and saw the 200 up in 306 minutes, but at 231 he was gone when caught by Wisneski at slip from Wiseman's bowling for 33.

Rhys Morgan and James Franklin followed before the anchors were finally thrown out by Nevin and Penn.

It was a fine game with the bat for Penn as it was his partnership with Franklin in the first innings that prevented Wellington going down the gurgler. After batting for 89 minutes he was 11 not out while Nevin was 45 not out having faced 140 balls.

Wiseman had 44 overs and took three for 78 while Redmond bowled 23 overs and took none for 44 while Harris' 17 overs resulted in one for 35.

The wet nature of the pitch on the first two days and the occasional sun showers during the last two days meant that in reality the last day of the pitch was still around a three-day pitch and held little spite for batsmen who got themselves in, something borne out by Nevin and Penn's defence.

But considering this was the first game in a long campaign it was an appetiser of the highest order that left both teams with lessons to absorb, the supportive Rangiora public with memories of a competitive match, and the hint of better things ahead for both teams.

© CricInfo