Cricket: Central and Northern crash at Basin

Wellington coach Vaughn Johnson called for calm last night, but there was a justifiable snap in the step of his players after they recorded their third successive win in the national one-day competition.

For the second consecutive day Wellington outplayed their opposition at the Basin Reserve, and earned a bonus point in the process.

On Saturday, Wellington took advantage of some feeble Central Districts batting to win by 110 runs.

Central were dismissed for 58, the lowest total in a provincial one-day game in New Zealand.

Yesterday, they hammered Northern Districts by 79 runs, taking them to the top of the shield standings with 14 points, five ahead of second-placed Canterbury.

Wellington posted 206 for nine before Northern Districts responded with just 127 after at one stage being 59 for eight.

"It's pleasing the way we've started, our one-day disciplines are developing well," Johnson said.

"But we know how tough it's going to be, and it's a bit early to be thinking too far ahead."

Johnson was particularly encouraged by the side's bowling. James Franklin, Paul Hitchcock and Matthew Walker have been outstanding, and Mark Gillespie showed promise in his one-day debut yesterday when chosen to replace the injured Andrew Penn.

"Jimmy's come back well in the last few days after struggling a bit. He lost his ability to swing the ball, but he's showed how good a bowler he can be in the last two days.

"When Simon Doull took 18 runs from his first over [yesterday] he didn't look like he wanted to bowl. He bowled the over like a drunk."

However, Johnson admired the way Franklin responded to the flogging, which included a six over extra cover, to concede just 11 runs off his other eight overs.

In the process he claimed the wickets of Matthew Hart and Mark Bailey, both leg before.

Franklin took three for 23 from seven overs against Central Districts on Saturday.

Hitchcock achieved his best one-day figures of five for 10 from 5.3 overs as he sliced through the Central middle-order batting with his ability to bowl a challenging yorker length, and make the ball skid.

Walker, with help from Mayu Pasupati, did the damage yesterday, securing three and two wickets respectively.

Northern Districts slid to 59 for eight in the 24th over, and it took captain Robbie Hart, who scored 40 batting at No 8, Daryl Tuffey, who made 17, and Ian Butler 10 not out, to show up the frontline batsmen in more than doubling the score in adding 68 for the last two wickets.

Wellington's 206 for nine came about chiefly thanks to a patient 65 from captain Matthew Bell.

He was not out until the 37th over and, with wickets in hand, Wellington were able to push on well in the closing overs.

Wellington have provisionally named the same XI as yesterday, plus Jeetan Patel, for tomorrow's match against Auckland in Wellington.

On Saturday, New Zealand openers Mark Richardson and Matt Horne scored a century opening partnership to set up Auckland's seven-wicket win over Otago.

Auckland scored the necessary runs with 4.5 overs to spare to gain their first win of the competition.

Richardson scored 47 off 67 balls in a first-wicket stand of 104 with Horne.

Horne carried on to make 60 off 81 balls before he was bowled by acting Otago captain Craig Cumming.

But Aaron Barnes maintained Auckland's momentum with a hard-hit 55 and Auckland cruised to victory against Otago, who are winless after two matches.

Earlier, Otago had made 206 for seven wickets after being sent in to bat on a Molyneux Park pitch helpful to seam bowling after a week of intermittent rain.

Cumming top-scored with a career-best 70 and featured in all three Auckland wickets, bowling Horne and taking smart catches at mid-wicket to dismiss Richardson and Barnes.

He also had his share of bad luck. He lost a toss he desperately wanted to win, he lost Warren McSkimming and Martyn Croy injured - Chris Gaffaney had to keep wickets - and he was out to one of the catches of the season.

- NZPA