Wellington and Canterbury traded probing jabs and shivering upper cuts on the second day of their State Championship match at the Basin Reserve today and both quit the ring, to return for another round tomorrow, bloodied but defiant.

No quarter was given as this prize-match, crucial to both teams, lurched towards a knockout decision.

Canterbury had gained an ascendancy at times today, led on all scorecards, but Wellington had then picked itself up to score points of its own and to dispute the outcome. Before the bell rang finally at 6.07pm last night, Canterbury had landed another flurry of telling blows and Wellington was buckling.

Canterbury replied with 193 to Wellington's first innings of 182 to post an 11-run first innings lead but their superiority at that pivotal point should have been much greater. They had been 151/3 as Gary Stead and Michael Papps joined in a partnership of 107 for the fourth wicket and they were poised to take complete control of the match.

But Wellington fought back as they have so often this season and particularly in recent games through their strong and varied bowling attack. Stead was out for 52 at 151, Papps for 68 at 178 and Canterbury's last seven wickets toppled in 25.3 overs for only 42 runs.

The partnership of Stead and Papps had been potentially match-winning. They came together when Canterbury was 44/3, when the bowlers held the moral upper hand, and carried Canterbury, at first gingerly then with growing authority, to 151.

Stead's stay at the crease measured the duration of the partnership. He scored his 52 in 125 minutes, from 96 balls and with five fours. Papps batted almost four hours for his 68 runs and lifted on his ample shoulders a Canterbury innings which had begun to sag under Wellington's accurate bombardment.

The separation of the pair, when Stead was out for 52 in the 64th over, was crucial to Wellington and hugely damaging to Canterbury. Peter Fulton followed without scoring, then Papps was out to the last ball of the 80th over and Canterbury was 178/6. Gareth Hopkins fell to the first ball of the 81st over and Canterbury, then 178/7, was staggering.

Matthew Walker battered the Canterbury middle order and started the slide, taking four for 15 from 20 overs including the wickets of Papps, lbw, and Stead, caught by wicket-keeper Glynn Howell. Andrew Penn chimed in with the second new ball and took four late wickets to finish with four for 24 from 18.3 overs.

Wellington had rescued itself again and the match was almost perfectly balanced.

But Canterbury rejoined before stumps and claimed three Wellington wickets in 24 overs before the eventual conclusion.

They delivered a crucial and potentially staggering blow to Wellington when they removed its captain Matthew Bell for six, taking the wickets of both openers for 17 runs.

Luke Woodcok was out when the total was five and Bell, superbly caught and bowled by Stephen Cunis, for six when Wellington was 17.

The attrition of the day was not yet at an end and Canterbury delivered another finally judged punch when they had Selwyn Blackmore's wicket for 21 when Wellington was 47. Wellington couldn't easily afford the loss of a third wicket before stumps.

Wellington was 49/3 when stumps were drawn and led by only 38 runs overall with seven wickets in hand.

But they are not yet out of this match. They have shown the ability in their most recent games to take outright wins from improbable positions in low scoring matches. If they set Canterbury even a moderate total their bowlers might yet rise to the occasion.

Canterbury, on a difficult wicket, can also win this match if they continue to rifle Wellington's second innings as they have today. The pitch is a wearing one, slow and offering both seam and spin.

Batting, particularly stroke-making is not easy. The judgment of pace and bounce is as difficult as the judgement of line. The match is likely to continue as brutal and unyielding as it has been today.

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