Canterbury had two good sessions today. It's not too often, ever since they threw away the Shell Cup on January 27th, in the second final at Jade Stadium, that you could say that.

They were set 378 to beat Otago in their last match. The red and blacks lost by 55 runs. What looks, on the face of it, a pretty impressive effort, was in fact a confused mixture of blocking, hitting and, ultimately, disappointment, in a game the home team could have won.

Coach, Garry MacDonald first wants his team to learn "how not to lose."

But if Canterbury try to not lose against Wellington tomorrow, with nine of MacDonald's men still to be dismissed and 278 needed off 100 overs, they will surely be defeated.

That is why the final session of Robbie Frew and Jarrod Englefield was so admirable today.

Canterbury began at 125/5 on a hot, sunny Village Green morning. They went in to lunch at 215/7, with Marcel McKenzie's 61, a career best, and Carl Anderson's 45 not out showing the top order how easy paced the pitch is.

In contrast, the middle session was a nightmare. They lost their last three wickets in no time, with impressive right-arm seamer Iain O'Brien, taking a career best of his own. His 6-39 was the fifth best analysis this season, from a bowler who's effort ball has been described as Bruce Taylor-like, by Radio Sport's Peter Sharp.

Then Chris Nevin opened in one-day mode, enhancing his personal Black Cap hopes, with 80 not out off 75 balls. This contrasts with One-Day International rival wicket-keeper/opener Adam Parore's nought off 15 against Sri Lanka today. Richard Jones made 53 off 52 and Wellington declared at tea on 123/1, well on top. Canterbury needed 411 in 130 overs.

Wellington coach Vaughn Johnson was understandably upbeat. "You've got to have a situation where you have to have enough overs. Ultimately we had to have enough overs to bowl them out, and we felt we needed four sessions," he told CricInfo.

Gary Stead, Canterbury's top batsman and captain, was then given out first ball, when his bat hit his pad rather than the ball.

But, seemingly when Canterbury were set to capitulate, Frew and Englefield hit back. They hooked, drove and generally rode their luck. In particular, a caught and bowled by Jeetan Patel, off silly point's boot, was not given with Englefield just past a 65 ball second fifty of the season. He hit back positively as ever, with two big on-side sixes off the same bowler to move to his highest score of a modest season.

Things got a bit lively in the middle, as Wellington appealed for everything in the evening heat.

"I think everyone can see they were a bit lucky. There were a couple of outs there, but that's the way it goes. It probably evens up with a couple of bad decisions they had," Johnson said, not unreasonably.

"They played really well," he continued, conceding that the unbroken 129-run partnership was a worry, not only to Wellington's victory prospects, but also to getting a winning draw. "They played with aggression and got through to 280 odd to win, which is certainly gettable out there."

While Canterbury may not even know they can still win the Shell Trophy if they win the rest of their games, Johnson, the man hoping to take Wellington to a first Trophy title for eleven years rightly says, "You've got to be prepared to give it a bit of a punt."

© CricInfo