Cricket: Fleming back among runs

Stephen Fleming looks to have put behind him those embarrassingly strokeless battles at the crease after remodelling his batting technique in recent weeks.

There was further evidence of the New Zealand captain's growing confidence yesterday as he produced a polished 57 from 86 balls in Wellington's four-wicket State Shield win against Auckland at the Basin Reserve.

The signs were there on Tuesday in his increasingly assertive 60 not out in New Zealand's six-wicket win over India in the finale of the one-day series in Hamilton.

He built on that yesterday, relishing the good batting conditions to display an array of shots that seemed to have been lost in the past.

It was a Fleming innings more like his old self.

Auckland batted first and scored 181, the main contribution coming from Lou Vincent with 66.

Wellington reached their target with 16 balls to spare.

* Daniel Vettori was again at his uncomplicated best with the bat and typically frugal with the ball against Central Districts in Hamilton.

But after the rest of his Northern Districts team-mates batted like the Indians did at the same ground three days earlier, Central were able to coast home.

Central scored a 100-run victory inside 31 overs after setting Northern 231 to win.

Having earned a bonus point in the process, Central have now surged from fifth to second on the points table.

Vettori, Northern's hero in their previous one-day match against Wellington, played another wonderfully inventive innings at the top of the team's order, mixing his own unique wafts with more orthodox shots, and stroking his way to 57 in quick time.

His 50 came up in just 37 balls and included 10 fours and a booming six over mid-off.

But when he finally missed a swish at offspinner Campbell Furlong in the 16th over, Northern's prospects evaporated, with none of the other batsmen able to get above 14.

* Pace bowler Hayden Shaw produced a career-best performance and batsman Michael Papps maintained his consistency as Canterbury thrashed Otago by 117 runs in Invercargill.

It was Otago's second consecutive loss, Canterbury's second consecutive win, and there was little for the subdued crowd to cheer about as Otago were completely outbatted and outbowled.

The pitch seemed relatively docile as Papps and Shanan Stewart, with an opening stand of 108, laid the foundation for Canterbury's total of 232 after Otago won the toss and fielded.

But it seemed a minefield as the Otago top-order capitulated against the aggressive pace bowling of Shaw, Stephen Cunis and Chris Martin. They managed just 115 runs.

- NZPA