Wellington made the better start when play resumed after the rain interruption. Neal Parlane was keen to make an impression on his return to Hamilton having been discarded by ND after six years in the team.

He hit Aldridge for five fours in two overs, two through the covers, two flicked off the pads and another that was in the air just wide of the diving Vettori at third man.

With Richard Jones also in good touch, the partnership defied the conventions of building a one-day total by relying on boundaries. Seven out of eight scoring shots were fours in one spell from the fifteenth to seventeenth overs.

The Wellington run rate remained above five an over with an apparent minimum of effort. The fifty partnership came up in the sixteenth over.

The course of the game changed when Vettori was brought on from the Members' End to staunch the flow. He settled into a good rhythm and found some turn. Only nine runs came from his first five overs.

But it was Mark Orchard who made the breakthrough, taking his first wicket at this level to dismiss Jones for 26. Hamish Marshall took the catch at point as the batsman thick edged an attempted drive. The score was 101 for three in the twenty-third over.

Vettori dismissed Parlane when he pulled a short delivery. Though the ball never rose far off the ground, it was hit with sufficient power to carry to Yovich on the mid-wicket boundary.

Parlane scored 41 from 71 balls with eight fours.

Runs had become hard to find and the required rate was creeping towards seven an over. The fifth-wicket partnership of Donaldson and Walker found themselves in the classic dilemma of a chasing team. They had to increase the tempo, but could not afford to lose wickets in the process.

Donaldson lashed out at Aldridge to fall to a top-class catch from Hamish Marshall, who threw himself to his left at point to take a ball that was moving fast towards the boundary. Donaldson made seven from 15 balls.

Walker hit the first six of the innings, over long on off Vettori.

The match remains a 50-over contest despite the break for rain. Clouds around the ground are again getting darker.

The Wellington batsmen have been able hit boundaries with sufficient regularity to keep within touch of the asking rate of 5.44 runs an over, but cannot afford to lose more quick wickets.

The first boundaries of the innings came when Nevin twice cover drove Yovich in the third over. Yovich thought that he had Chris Nevin caught behind from the intervening delivery, only for celebrations to be curtailed by umpire Baxter's signal for wide.

But Yovich got his man later in the over, removing Nevin's off stump with a full-length delivery as the batsman played across the line. Nevin scored eight and fell with the score on 18.

Matthew Bell was out in Yovich's next over, caught by Michael Parlane at square leg from a flick off the pads. The Wellington captain scored eight, including one four.

With Wellington 31 for two ND had in their sights the bonus point that would be acquired for restricting the visitors to 216 or less.

Richard Jones survived a histrionic appeal for caught behind off a lifting delivery from Gareth West to straight drive the next ball for four, before the rain arrived.

Both flat and wheeled covers were placed over the pitch during the brief shower, a belt-and-braces response after the ground conditions caused controversy in the recent Test match here.

Play is expected to resume shortly.

Tight bowling by Walker (10-0-41-1), Gillespie (9-0-42-1) and Hitchcock (10-0-44-2) in the final phase of the innings restricted ND, with only 103 runs scored in the 18.3 overs after the first wicket fell.

Ash Turner had a Jekyll and Hyde day with the ball. After two expensive spells earlier in the innings, he returned to take the first three ND wickets, including those of Parlane and Matthew Hart in his sixth over. He finished with figures of 10-0-59-3.

But in his next over he bowled successive wides that went to the boundary, giving ND a late Christmas present of ten runs.

Vettori's innings came to end when an attempted pull off Gillespie was caught by a diving Hitchcock at short mid-wicket. He made a career-best 89 from 115 balls, with eleven fours and a six.

His dismissal meant that ND had lost four wickets for 18 runs, a return to the characteristic form of recent games. However, with the 200 coming up in the thirty-eighth over, they were well placed to post a target that would challenge Wellington.

With Gillespie and Walker bowling in tandem the fifth-wicket partnership of Joseph Yovich and Hamish Marshall found batting conditions more difficult than at any time in the innings. Both bowlers were getting the ball to move and lift dangerously.

It may have been frustration that led Yovich to try to beat a throw from Gillespie at fine leg in an attempt to get a second run. He was run out despite a full-length dive into the crease. Yovich scored eight from 15 balls.

David Kelly almost suffered the second duck of his two-innings ND one-day career from his first ball. An inside edge missed the stumps by a whisker before speeding to the boundary.

This piece of luck apart, ND went nine overs without a boundary until Hamish Marshall lofted a ball just wide of Pasupati's dive at third man.

Fortunately for ND, Wellington haemorraged extras, which reached their half-century (to loud cheers) in the forty-sixth over. 31 wides and four no-balls contributed to a final tally of 55.

Hitchcock bowled Kelly for 13 and Robbie Hart for two as ND continued to find acceleration difficult in the final overs.

Hamish Marshall fell to a diving leg-side catch by Nevin off Walker for 26.

There was a final flourish from Orchard (nine not out), with some powerful driving, and Aldridge (eight not out), who stepped inside the line to flick Hitchcock for six over fine leg.

This, at least, is one match that will not finish early.

The century partnership between Vettori and James Marshall came up in the seventeenth over. Vettori continued to punish anything that strayed in line on both sides of the pitch.

The partnership became the new ND one-day first-wicket record when it passed the previous best of 119, by Michael Parlane and Bryan Young against Auckland in 1996/7.

Marshall became more confident and adventurous as time went on. The benefits of having an in-form partner taking the pressure off were obvious. Marshall reached his fifty with his sixth boundary, a stylish drive to mid-wicket. It took 77 balls.

Pasupati was withdrawn from the attack after conceding 29 runs from three overs to be replaced by medium-pacer Matthew Walker who discomforted both batsmen by producing sharp bounce from just short of a length. Walker's figures of 6-0-20-0 are the best for Wellington, by some way.

Turner replaced Walker and claimed Marshall's wicket in his first over. A slash outside the off stump took a thin edge and was caught behind by Nevin.

Marshall scored 60 from 93 balls, with six fours.

Turner dismissed Michael Parlane with the last ball before drinks. It was the ball of the innings, squaring Parlane up as it left him to remove his off stump. Parlane scored one from seven balls.

Matthew Hart followed for a duck form the second ball after drinks, caught by Jefferson at point off Turner.

Vettori passed 75, his best score in one-day cricket, achieved against Central Districts at Napier two years ago.

The policy of sending TelstraClear Black Caps back to domestic cricket has not been successful before today, but has worked for Vettori, even before he has had a bowl.

It is overcast in Hamilton, but there is no immediate threat of rain.

After 16 overs ND are 97 without loss. Vettori is 54 not out, Marshall 26 not out.

Ash Turner bore the brunt of Vettori's early attack. Turner was taken off at the City End after conceding 15 runs from his first two overs. When he returned from the Members' End Vettori flicked his first ball for four through mid-wicket.

Two more boundaries from Vettori followed in Turner's next over, the tenth of the innings, though one was off the edge. Turner has also gifted six to the ND total in the form of wides.

The fifty partnership came up in the ninth over, with Marshall contributing just eight of them. His first boundary did not come until he cut Hitchcock in the eleventh over.

Pasupati replaced Turner, but repeated his mistake of bowling at Vettori's pads. His second delivery was whipped away for four. Two balls later Vettori lifted a ball towards Hitchcock at long leg. Aware that he was close to the boundary, the fielder could only parry the ball over the line for six.

Vettori reached his fifty from 55 balls. All but nine of his runs had come in boundaries.

There is some movement off the pitch for the seamers. Hitchcock struck both James Marshall and Vettori on the thigh with deliveries that moved in to them, but it is not the minefield that it was for the Test match against India before Christmas. As usual at Westpac Park, there is bounce for the quicker bowlers.

The dark clouds that appeared from the south were sufficiently threatening for the ground's powerful lights to be switched on briefly.

Poor Indian batting has given Vettori little opportunity to turn his arm over in international games, so it is an opportunity for him to discover, rather than recover, his form.

Bruce Martin makes way for Vettori in the ND team and Hamish Marshall replaces Nick Horsley.

Mayu Pasupati comes in at the expense of James Franklin for Wellington.

If recent performances are a guide, the match will be over before the lights are switched on. Wellington have claimed two successive bonus points, against Canterbury, and ND in the first match between these teams.

The gutless batting performance produced by ND at the Basin Reserve last Thursday was repeated against Otago on Sunday, when a last-wicket partnership of 41 between West and Aldridge was the biggest of the innings.

ND have won the toss and will bat. The pitch is expected to be a huge improvement on that which saw the Test match against India decided in two days' playing time.

It is a bright afternoon in Hamilton, with a chance of a shower later.

The teams.

Northern Districts:

David Kelly, James Marshall, Michael Parlane, Matthew Hart, Joseph Yovich, Hamish Marshall, Robbie Hart (captain/wicket-keeper), Mark Orchard, Daniel Vettori, Graeme Aldridge, Gareth West. Twelfth man is Nick Horsley.

Wellington:

Chris Nevin (wicket-keeper), Matthew Bell (captain), Richard Jones, Neil Parlane, Matthew Walker, Grant Donaldson, Mark Jefferson, Paul Hitchcock, Mark Gillespie, Mayu Pasupati, Ash Turner. Twelfth man is James Franklin .

Umpires: Tony Hill and Gary Baxter