Central Districts, with patience and careful application, bowled themselves to a 116-run win over Wellington in a State Championship match which ended near the middle of its final day at sunny McLean Park in Napier today.

Wellington, chasing a burdensome 320 for victory after giving up first innings points, began the day 71/4 and were finally all out for 203 in the 88th over.

Wellington's retreat from victory was a fighting one. Four players today made 20 or more and participated in a series of middle-order partnerships which delayed Central's win but were insufficient to save the match.

Wellington has been plagued through the second half of the season by poor batting performances but has repeatedly managed to fight its way out of tight corners - to five outright wins in succession.

Central, with steely determination, put a stop to that today. They gained a dominating position in the match from the first day on which they had batted and Wellington's request, and they gave Wellington no avenue to fight their way back into the game.

Central scored 218 batting first - a moderate total but one which loomed larger when Wellington was out for only 180 runs in its first innings, giving up a 38-run lead.

Central capitalised when they scored 281 in their second innings, constructing an overall lead of 319, and Wellington were backed into a tight corner - one from which they could not emerge fighting - when they were 71/4 overnight.

The decay of their second innings today was slow but inexorable. Leighton Morgan was out nine runs after the resumption and the remaining wickets followed at steady, though widespread intervals.

Grant Donaldson and Morgan shared a partnership of 35 for the fifth wicket and Morgan, who batted soundly in both innings on debut, was 22 when he was caught by Mathew Sinclair off Andrew Schwass's bowling. Schwass was Central's leading wicket-taker with 3-38.

Donaldson put on 52 for the sixth wicket with James Franklin in the largest and most resilient partnership of the day but he was finally out in the 55th over, after an alliance spanning 22 overs, caught by Glen Sulzberger off Jacob Oram for 40. Donaldson gave Oram his only wicket of the innings but he bowled 14 overs of needling medium pace and conceded only 13 runs.

Franklin made 33 and was out, after putting on 41 with Mark Jefferson, when Wellington was 176. Jefferson followed for 23, three runs later and Wellington were 179/8. The innings finally expired 24 runs and seven overs later when Iain O'Brien was dismissed by Michael Mason.

In addition to Schwass and Oram, Mason took 2-29 and Lance Hamilton 2-57.

Wellington now face Auckland in their last Championship match at Eden Park from Monday while Central, now only a point behind Wellington, return to McLean Park to meet Otago.

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