Wellington beat Otago by four wickets in a State Championship match which ended 24 minutes after lunch on its third day today but this was a win accepted more with relief than with relish.

A treacherous pitch, out of character for the Basin Reserve, had turned this into a low-scoring dogfight of a match - survival of the fittest - and players from both sides, batsmen especially, were glad to see it end.

Wellington reached their winning target of 171 with six wickets down in 57.4 overs, after resuming its second innings today at 92/3. They were frog marched to that winning total by their stand-in captain Richard Jones who batted 159 minutes for the game's highest score of 86.

Jones was out 20 minutes before lunch, when Wellington still needed 34 runs and had five wickets standing, and saw them lose a further wicket after lunch before the winning total was achieved.

Matthew Walker, who had failed to score in three previous innings, finally saw Wellington home with an immensely patient and careful innings of 20 from 100 balls. Andrew Penn was with him, two not out at the end.

Wellington were simply relieved to take the win, which promises to lift them above third place in the competition. Had they been faced with a target of any great proportion in their final innings, the run chase might have been beyond them. And but for Jones, who hit 17 fours in compiling the largest individual score of the match, they might not have reached their target at all.

There had been no signs, when Jones one the toss and committed Wellington to the field on the first morning of the match, that the pitch would provide as much assistance for the spinners as it did, consistently, over two and a half days.

Even in reflection, Wellington said they could not see cause to alter their decision to bowl first or their decisions to take four medium pacers into the match and to leave out spinner Mark Jefferson.

The pitch was green, suggesting assistance for the seam bowlers, and did not appear likely to take spin till it had begun to dry. It was still slightly soft from recent rain when play began.

But from the first, the ball turned prodigiously and throughout the match spinners took 18 wickets at a little more than 10 runs apiece.

Their were audible gasps from both teams when the extent of the turn and bounce spinners were able to attrack was apparent on the first day. Wellington used medium pacers to knock the top off the Otago first innings - Penn took 4-45 - and off spinner Jeetan Patel contributed only two wickets at the end of the innings.

But Nathan Morland and Rob Smith spun Wellington to 74/5 by the end of the first day then secured Wellington's last five wickets for 34 runs before lunch on the second day.

Luke Woodcock, making his first-class debut for Wellington, took four wickets for three runs from 6.5 overs during Otago's second innings, contributing to their dismissal for 140 and allowing Wellington a manageable run chase. He broke a dangerous fifth wicket partnership between Craig Cumming and Craig Pryor and helped Wellington take Otago's last six wickets for 24 runs.

Morland, still extracting considerable spin today, took four of the six wickets which fell in Wellington's second innings.

Jones showed that good batsmanship could still produce runs. He used his feet better than any other batsman in the match and for that reason he prospered and Wellington reached its winning total.

The high percentage of boundaries in Jones' total was also suggestive. This was not a pitch on which to poke and prod. It was, in colloquial terms, a block-bash pitch. It required watchful defence against good bowling and a swift willingness and determination to punish loose bowling.

Jones took his overnight of 49 past 50 with a four from the last ball of the day's first over. His half century came in 102 minutes from 87 balls.

He played a fine and generally calculated array of shots, taking fours through point, mid-wicket and long on.

He was out near lunch when Wellington was 137 and Wellington, resuming after lunch with only 24 runs required, lost James Franklin for 19 before the winning total arrived.

Morland took 4-56 to go with his 4-26 in Wellington's first innings, finishing with match figures of 8-82.

Wellington demonstrated again an ability to bat themselves out of tight corners after first batting themselves into those tight corners.

"It was good to see we can bat last on a bad wicket and still win," said Wellington coach Vaughn Johnson. All of Wellington's outright wins this season have been achieved batting last.

"It was a good battle. We got caught on a wicket which was turning square and we came through. In any competition you need a bit of luck as well as to be playing well.

"Otago had lost their previous five games and I suppose you can get on a roll as far as losing as concerned as much as you can get on a roll when you're winning. That might have helped us.

"But the pitch really surprised us. We never thought it would turn as much as it did. The history of the ground and our own experience and observation would never lead to the conclusion that it would be turning square from day one.

"That turned it into a bit of a dogfight but luckily we got the best of it."

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