Jamie How of Central Districts. Photo / Getty Images.
If you're going to break a drought, you may as well do it in dramatic fashion.
Before today Jamie How had never made a century for Central Districts in one-day cricket despite having played as a top-order batsman for the association since his debut on December 10, 2000.
But the former international strode to the crease at Seddon Park in Hamilton this morning and put the Northern Districts bowling attack to the sword as he broke a host of records on his way to an incredible 222.
How's previous two centuries in one-day cricket had come in a black cap; he made 139 for New Zealand against England in 2008 and an unbeaten 123 for New Zealand A against Australia A at the Top End Series in 2006.
Today's knock took 138 balls and included 27 fours and eight sixes as he put on a remarkable 321 for the first wicket with Jeet Raval (115) as CD racked up 417-6 from their 50 overs.
Unbelievably they nearly lost as Northern Districts fought their way in to the game but were eventually bowled out for 398 in the 49th over as Central Districts held on to win by 19 runs.
How's only other double century of note came in a three-day Hawke Cup game when he made 224 for Manawatu against Bay of Plenty in 2010 but the 31-year-old said he was just pleased to finally pass three figures in the coloured clothing for CD.
"There's been a few 90s, particularly for CD but I guess some times it's hard to balance that aggression up front trying to get the team off to a good start and batting through, so it's nice," How said.
"One of my goals this season was to get that elusive hundred for CD in the one-day form and it's nice to do it in style."
How's 222 was the second-highest score of all time in a List A game, domestically or internationally, and he now sits alongside South African Graeme Pollock who made 222 not out for Eastern Province against Border in a 60-over game in East London in 1974.
"Graeme Pollock's not bad. I think I'm pretty embarrassed to share something with a player like him," How said.
Pollock was one of the finest left-handed batsmen to ever grace the game and averaged 60.97 from 23 tests for South Africa and made 64 first-class centuries in a 17-year career.
The highest score in a one-day game is 268 by Ali Brown for Surrey against Glamorgan in England in 2002.
At the Eden Park Outer Oval, Auckland and Canterbury also took part in a run-fest that saw the home side claim a 13-run win.
Auckland lost the toss and were sent in to bat and on the back of maiden one-day centuries from Colin Munro (151) and Colin de Grandhomme (115) made an imposing 356 after they were bowled out in the 50th over.
Canterbury seamer Matt Henry picked up career-best figures of 6-45.
Needing a fast start to have any chance of victory, Brad Cachopa made 126 for Canterbury and they looked on track to pull off an unlikely chase but despite half centuries from Henry Nicholls and Shanan Stewart the visitors were eventually bowled out for 343 in the 50th over.
Chris Martin took 3-59 for Auckland while Kyle Mills and de Grandhomme each snagged two scalps.
In Invercargill, Wellington beat Otago by 22 runs in a rain-affected game.
Wellington batted first and made 309-4 from 41 overs as Michael Papps continued his good form with a well-struck 82.
In response, Otago mustered 287 as they were bowled out in 38 overs; Wellington seamer Mark Gillespie took 5-70.
Milestones and marks of the day
* Central Districts 417-6 beat Northern Districts 398 by 19 runs at Seddon Park in Hamilton.
* Central Districts' total of 417-6 against Northern Districts was the highest total in a domestic one-day game in New Zealand surpassing Canterbury's 410-5 against Otago in the 2009-2010 season.
* Central Districts' opening partnership of 321 between Jamie How and Jeet Raval was the highest partnership for any wicket in domestic one-day history in New Zealand. It was five runs short of the highest first-wicket stand in any List A game. Openers Ghulam Ali and Sohail Jaffar made 326 and batted through 50 overs for Pakistan International Airlines against the Agriculture Development Bank of Pakistan in April, 2001.
* Jamie How's 222 was the highest individual score in a one-day game in New Zealand, overtaking Brendon McCullum's 170 that he made for Otago against Auckland in 2008. It was only the 12th double century in a List A game worldwide.
* How's knock of 222 was the second-equal highest score in a List A game, beside Graeme Pollock's 222 not out for Eastern Province against Border in a 60-over game in South Africa in 1974.
* ND's total of 398 was their highest in a one-day game, surpassing the 332-5 they racked up against Canterbury in January, 2007.
* CD's Jeet Raval (115), ND's Jono Hickey (61), Jono Boult (52) and Anurag Verma (52 not out) all made their highest scores in one-day cricket.
* Auckland 356 beat Canterbury 343 by 13 runs at Eden Park Outer Oval in Auckland
* Colin Munro's 151 was the fifth-highest individual score by an Auckland batsman in a one-day game.
* Munro's partnership with Colin de Grandhomme (115) of 229 was the highest fifth-wicket partnership for any team in domestic one-day cricket in New Zealand.
* Auckland's 356 was their second-highest team total in a one-day game, only behind their 362-5 against Otago in Oamaru in 2010.
* Despite Auckland making 356, Canterbury pace bowler Matt Henry claimed career-best bowling figures of 6-45, which is the fourth-equal best analysis for the province in one-day cricket.
* Auckland's Munro (151) and de Grandhomme (115) and Canterbury's Brad Cachopa (126), Logan van Beek (33) and Henry (37 not out) all made their highest scores in one-day cricket.
Scoreboard from the one-day cricket game between Central Districts and Northern Districts from Seddon Park in Hamilton today:
Central Districts
J Raval b Verma 115
J How c Devcich b Arnel 222
K Noema-Barnett c Flynn b Aldridge 22
C Cachopa c Wilson b Verma 16
M Sinclair not out 21
B Small c A Verma b Aldridge 3
K van Wyk run out (Devcich/Aldridge) 1
B Smith not out 6
Extras (5lb, 4wd, 2nb) 11
Total (for 6 wkts, 50.0 overs) 417
Fall: 1-321 (Raval), 2-359 (Noema-Barnett), 3-368 (How), 4-399 (Cachopa), 5-405 (Small), 6-408 (van Wyk)
Bowling: A Verma 9-0-73-2 (1nb), B Arnel 10-0-87-1 (3w), G Aldridge 10-0-77-2, J Boult 7-0-61-0 (1w), A Devcich 9-0-67-0 (1nb), D Mitchell 1-0-15-0, J Marshall 4-0-32-0
Northern Districts
D Flynn c Kain b Wheeler 0
A Devcich st van Wyk b Kain 54
D Mitchell c van Wyk b Small 29
J Hickey c van Wyk b Nethula 61
J Marshall c Small b Nethula 20
B Wilson c Nethula b Cachopa 48
J Boult c Smith b Cachopa 52
C Fletcher c Wheeler b Nethula 16
G Aldridge c Smith b Small 50
A Verma not out 52
B Arnel run out (Wheeler/Small) 1
Extras (6lb, 8wd, 1nb) 15
Total (for 10 wkts, 48.5 overs) 398
Fall: 1-0 (Flynn), 2-51 (Mitchell), 3-124 (Devcich), 4-153 (Marshall), 5-182 (Hickey), 6-273 (Boult), 7-274 (Wilson), 8-293 (Fletcher), 9-395 (Aldridge), 10-398 (Arnel)
Bowling: B Wheeler 8-0-89-1 (2w), B Small 9.5-0-53-2, T Nethula 10-0-74-3 (1w), K Noema-Barnett 5-0-44-0 (2w), M Kain 7-0-60-1 (2w), C Cachopa 9-0-72-2 (1nb)
Result: Central Districts won by 19 runs
Scoreboard from the one-day cricket game between Auckland and Canterbury from the Eden Park Outer Oval in Auckland today:
Auckland
T McIntosh c Findlay b McCone 5
A Kitchen b Henry 10
G Hopkins c Cachopa b Henry 13
C Cachopa c Stewart b Henry 0
C Munro c Cachopa b Henry 151
C de Grandhomme c Nicholls b van Beek 115
D Grobbelaar c Hira b Henry 30
K Mills c Worker b Henry 4
M Bates not out 19
B Singh run out (Worker) 0
C Martin b Ellis 2
Extras (2lb, 4wd, 1nb) 7
Total (for 10 wkts, 49.4 overs) 356
Fall: 1-5 (McIntosh), 2-19 (Kitchen,), 3-23 (Cachopa), 4-50 (Hopkins), 5-279 (de Grandhomme), 6-311 (Munro), 7-325 (Mills), 8-346 (Grobbelaar), 9-346 (Singh), 10-356 (Martin)
Bowling: M Henry 10-0-45-6, R McCone 10-0-89-1 (2w), A Ellis 9.4-0-41-1 (1w, 1nb), L van Beek 7-0-73-1 (1w), R Hira 5-0-46-0, R Nicol 7-0-49-0, B Findlay 1-0-11-0
Canterbury
B Cachopa c Bates b de Grandhomme 126
G Worker b Martin 0
R Nicol c Hopkins b Martin 14
H Nicholls c Hopkins b de Grandhomme 51
S Stewart c Hopkins b Mills 51
R Hira c Munro b Martin 1
A Ellis run out (Kitchen/Bates) 10
B Findlay c Kitchen b Mills 12
L van Beek c Singh b Bates 33
M Henry not out 37
R McCone run out (Hopkins) 0
Extras (6lb, 2wd 8
Total (for 10 wkts, 49.4 overs) 343
Fall: 1-1 (Worker), 2-27 (Nicol), 3-158 (Nicholls), 4-224 (Cachopa,), 5-227 (Hira), 6-256 (Ellis), 7-263 (Stewart), 8-274 (Findlay), 9-336 (van Beek), 10-343 (McCone)
Bowling: C Martin 10-1-59-3, K Mills 9.4-2-43-2, C Munro 3-0-29-0 (1w), M Bates 10-0-75-1, B Singh 8-0-66-0, C de Grandhomme 8-0-60-2 (1w), D Grobbelaar 1-0-5-0
Result: Auckland won by 13 runs
Scoreboard from the one-day cricket game between Otago and Wellington from Queen's Park in Invercargill today:
Wellington
J Ryder c McMillan b Neesham 72
M Papps c Wells b Neesham 82
J Brodie st de Boorder b Beard 54
J Franklin c Bracewell b Wells 1
G Elliott not out 43
H Boam not out 36
Extras (1b, 5lb, 15wd) 21
Total (for 4 wkts, 41.0 overs) 309
Fall: 1-97 (Ryder), 2-220 (Papps), 3-222 (Brodie), 4-222 (Franklin)
Bowling: J McMillan 8-0-72-0 (2w), J Duffy 6-0-60-0 (4w), S Wells 4-0-39-1 (1w), N McCullum 8-0-41-0, J Neesham 8-0-58-2, N Beard 5-0-33-1
Otago
S Wells b Franklin 57
A Redmond b Gillespie 19
N Broom c Blundell b Gillespie 18
J Neesham c & b Patel 40
N McCullum c Ryder b Kuggeleijn 34
M Bracewell st Blundell b Patel 24
D de Boorder c Elliott b Gillespie 68
I Robertson c Patel b Kuggeleijn 3
N Beard c Franklin b Gillespie 7
J Duffy not out 2
J McMillan lbw b Gillespie 0
Extras (4b, 5lb, 4wd, 2nb) 15
Total (for 10 wkts, 38.0 overs) 287
Fall: 1-33 (Redmond), 2-71 (Broom), 3-126 (Wells), 4-162 (Neesham), 5-204 (Bracewell), 6-206 (McCullum), 7-227 (Robertson), 8-281 (Beard), 9-286 (de Boorder), 10-287 (McMillan)
Bowling: M Gillespie 8-0-71-5 (2w, 2nb), S Kuggeleijn 8-0-64-2 (1w), J Patel 8-0-46-2 (1w), J Franklin 6-0-30-1, G Elliott 5-0-37-0, L Woodcock 1-0-8-0, J Ryder 2-0-22-0
Result: Wellington won by 22 runs.