Wellington and Northern Districts ended the first day of the Shell Trophy match evenly poised today - which would not have pleased Wellington, who took the opportunity to bowl on a lively green-tinged pitch only to see Northern survive early trials and middle-order droughts to reach 283 with just six overs left in the day's play.

If that was not bad enough for the championship leaders, they lost their star wicket-keeper in the third over after lunch. Chris Nevin left the field with a damaged thumb after a spectacular if unsuccessful dive for a catch down the leg side from Hamish Marshall.

Wellington coach Vaughn Johnson advised that x-rays had established the thumb was not broken but a further assessment of the injury would not be available until tomorrow.

On the field it was a case of runs coming in spurts. After the Wellington pace men Mark Gillespie and Iain O'Brien had enjoyed the conditions - and James Marshall hadn't - Michael Parlane (60) and Mark Bailey (47) began to find the pace of the pitch to their liking, rattling on 109 together before they were out in quick succession before lunch, which Northern reached at 122 for three.

Parlane, through a mixture of solid work and the occasional injudicious waft, posted the team's top score, his 60 coming off 97 balls.

However, if the pre-lunch session offered a run feast, matters quietened considerably after the break as Grant Bradburn (25) and Matthew Hart (31) set about building a solid partnership. Just when it appeared they might be settling in for the long haul, they came to grief, the pair's combined contribution coming to an end at 57.

The only other partnership of note was a lively late-in-the-day affair that saw Simon Doull provide a typically swashbuckling innings of 46 in a partnership with Robbie Hart of 56.

The regular comings and goings from the batting crease reflected the interest that the Wellington bowlers maintained. After Gillespie and O'Brien during their first spells gained early pace, lift and movement from the pitch but little tangible reward, Matthew Bell rang the changes regularly. It worked, particularly with his medium pacer Mayu Pasupati gaining each of his three wickets at the beginning of spells.

On a hot day, O'Brien earned just reward for his 30 overs of work, taking four for 64. Pasupati, three for 51 after a rocky start, and Gillespie, three for 87, were the supporting cast, along with their catchers, Richard Jones in particular taking a beaut. The spinners, Mark Jefferson and Jeetan Patel, can expect to have their day later in the match.

Wellington resume tomorrow with Bell and Jones at the wicket, the score on 17 and their immediate target the 284 necessary for first innings points. And they can expect the best batting conditions of the match.

But the biggest concern overnight is likely to be the condition of Nevin's thumb.

© CricInfo