The Wellington team cited en masse last week by a rival coach for unacceptable behaviour risked being reported by their own coach for the same offence today when they were out for 182 on the first day of their State Championship match against Canterbury at the Basin Reserve.

Firebirds coach Vaughn Johnson, who has set a high benchmark for his side over the past two seasons, would have regarded as unacceptable the individual failures of several batsmen and the collective mediocrity of another Wellington innings after they had batted first on winning the toss.

Wellington has found its way to a place next to Auckland at the top of the State Championship table after outright wins over Northern Districts and Otago in its last two games. But both of those matches were low scoring and this match seems bound in the same direction after Wellington's dismissal in 85.3 overs and Canterbury's progress to 20/1 in 14 overs in reply.

Extenuating circumstances can be taken into account. The pitch for last week's match at the Basin Reserve was poor by the ground's high standards and, lacking preparation as a result of poor weather, provided sharp turn and bounce from the first day. Spinners had a field day.

The pitch for this match has also lacked preparation and has been glued for the sake of longevity, as was the pitch used in the final of the State Shield between these two sides. There was still movement for the Canterbury seamers with two new balls today and the promise of turn for the spinners over the game's remaining days.

Still, it is hard for Johnson and others to overlook the fact that most of the Wellington batsman are lacking in confidence; that the reigning champions are getting by on an ability to fight their way out of tight corners, rather than through any established ability to dominate matches with the bat.

Last year, when Wellington won the last edition of the Shell Trophy, they won most of their games by posting high scores in their first innings. This year their outright wins have been achieved chasing one large and several moderate totals, batting last.

Wellington have come to rely on a few batsman to provide the bulk of their runs. Their mainstays have been Matthew Bell, who has not been entirely able to repeat his outstanding batting form of last season when he scored five centuries in Trophy matches, Richard Jones and the English professional David Sales.

Of those three, Sales has returned to England to meet pre-season county commitments. Bell missed last week's match against Otago because of a suspension and Jones scored 86 in Wellington's second innings to lead them to a four-wicket win. Jones is absent this week because of a suspension and Bell scored 57 today to give the Wellington total a little substance.

Few other Wellington batsman have been in consistent form or are batting with any real confidence. Wellington has depth in its batting line-up and that has been apparent in several matches. It has the ability, even if several batsmen fail, to score runs somewhere in the order.

But Selwyn Blackmore and Grant Donaldson have failed to go on to good scores in recent games, young newcomers Sam Fairley and Luke Woodcock are finding their way, Matthew Walker has made four ducks in five innings and the other Wellington batsmen and all-rounders are scratching.

Wellington has developed a tendancy, often ascribed to the New Zealand one-day team, to lose wickets in clumps. They slipped to 28/3 against the first new ball today, the exacting medium pace of Wade Cornelius and Stephen Cunis, then recovered to 96/3 with a partnership of 68 in 79 minutes between Bell and Donaldson.

They slid again to 97/6 before a 60-run seventh wicket stand between Mark Jefferson and Fairley lifted them to 157/6. When Jefferson was out, for 34 and later Fairley for 29, their last four wickets fell for 25 runs.

Bell batted for 167 minutes, throughout the first session and into the second, for a total that was the anchor of the innings. He saw Woodcock fall for seven in the 15th over, Blackmore for 0 an over later and James Franklin, contentiously for three, three overs later.

Umpires Gary Baxter and Brent Bowden, conferred for some time before Franklin's dismissal was confirmed. The question appeared to be whether the ball had carried directly to wicket-keeper Gareth Hopkins from Paul Wiseman's bowling. If so the length of time the issue took to resolve suggested a fair weight of doubt in the batsman's favour.

Donaldson contributed 22 in 79 minutes to his fourth wicket stand with Bell and was out in the 41st over as Cornelius tore into the middle order, refreshed after lunch. Bell and Walker followed within three balls in Cornelius next over, the 43rd.

Bell was caught by Hopkins - a gloved delivery - and Walker chopped a wide full toss onto his stumps.

Jefferson and Fairley produced two complementary and battling innings to restore some momentum. Jefferson has been underused by Wellington this season as a bowler and batsman and showed his worth with a valiant innings of 34 in 110 minutes.

Fairley, batting down the order, struggled to time the ball, to use his feet confidently and to impose his strokeplay on the match. But he showed valuable application and made 29 in 138 minutes - a long innings which will help his fragile confidence.

There was nothing of substance later.

Cornelius bowled 17 overs and took 4-16; Ryan Burson took 2-24 from 17 overs and Cunis 2-55 from 17.3.

Franklin gave Wellington an important wicket before stumps, removing Robbie Frew for seven when Canterbury was 14.

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