"It was quite good. We came out after lunch and there was quite a bit of pressure so I got there and had the ball swinging around a little bit and things started happening after that," said Small, who turns 22 late next month.
He cashed in with 3-23 at a miserly 1.92 runs an over on a "decent wicket", confirming the Heinrich Malan-coached CD would have bowled had the coin flipped in their favour.
"I'd prefer to take the new ball but the make-up of the side is with Dougie and Wheels up there, so I'm happy to follow up to do the job at first change," he said of Black Cap test seamer Doug Bracewell and Ben Wheeler.
Bracewell (3-59 at 3.93 runs an over) and captain Kieran Noema-Barnett (4-26 at 2.36) kept the Wellington batsmen honest, with openers Josh Brodie (51) and Michael Papps (45) establishing a first-wicket stand of 68 as others came and went like customers at a bank foyer.
Despite losing five wickets in 39 overs, Small said CD were upbeat they were still on the front foot.
"Well 170 is still well below par, so we're really happy with our bowling but, obviously, we're not very happy with losing early wickets.
"Pappsy played really well ... so he was a key wicket," he said of the leading run scorer in first-class cricket this summer, with 754 runs after yesterday's knock to sit comfortably ahead of Auckland's Martin Guptill (613) and Otago's Jesse Ryder (573) as the latter two are on Black Cap test duties.
When No3 Carl Cachopa on 35 not out, and Mr Reliable Kruger van Wyk 5 not out at No7, resume this morning the Stags will look to build on their 103 runs.
"If they get a good start in the morning, who knows what will happen, because it looks like a nice batting track out there, so the runs will flow."
He said there was no talk of rain in the changing sheds at stumps but the forecast is for light rain until 2pm before clearing until 8pm.
While there was not as much greenish tinge on the wicket, as it was against the Northern Districts Knights, Small said they were not worried when the James Franklin-captained Firebirds padded up.
Taking stock, Franklin said: "We were 115-2 and then to be all out for 172 in the middle session is obviously not good enough for a first-class cricket side.
"They held all their catches [and] we played some pretty average shots among some more good bowling from them."
The former Black Cap lauded his men for the way they came back with the ball, because it would have been a different story had the defending champions been 100-2 when the white coats lifted the bails.
"One more wicket for us tonight would have probably been parity for us, so CD are probably still on the front foot," he said, believing a couple of scalps in the first hour today would make amends.
Franklin felt there was a dry nature to the wicket which justified his decision to bat first, believing "very good" spinners in ex-internationals Jeetan Patel and Luke Woodcock would become pivotal.
While mindful rain coming off the sea could hang around, the man in the IPL auction said it was out of their control.
"If it rains we'll have to sit tight and hope and pray we can get out there at some stage," he said of the Firebirds, who are sitting in second place on the table behind the Canterbury Wizards.
The Aces are in charge against the Volts after a quick-fire ton from Colin Munro at Eden Park Outer Oval.
The No4 batsman scored 156 from 141 balls, including 22 boundaries and four sixes.
Daniel Flynn's 16th first-class ton (144 runs) sees saw the last-placed Knights and HRV Cup T20 champions take a similar stance against the Wizards in Gisborne.
