After 15 overs, New Zealand were 81 for one with Rolls on 41 and Emily Drumm on three.

Lynch playing only her second game for New Zealand, and her first opening the batting, was quickly into the action, striking three boundaries in the first few overs. She took the early batting. But it wasn't long before Rolls was back amongst it and they were each on 15 runs after nine overs.

Lynch, who opens the batting for the Auckland side she captains, pulled four runs from Claire Taylor and then cut another four off left-armer Lucy Pearson in the next over. Rolls, too, lofted one to long from Pearson as her sixth over and then pulled another ball which landed millimetres inside the backward square leg boundary.

Fourteen runs came from the overs which also produced the New Zealand 50, off 66 balls and in 36 minutes.

Taylor's five-over spell ended with 20 runs coming from it. Her replacement Sarah Collyer had the mortification of going for 15 runs from her first over at the same end. Lucy Pearson had 30 runs off her six overs

Forty-four runs came from four overs and while the boundary hitting was the most obvious feature of the innings, some outstanding running complemented their efforts, with Lynch setting the pace.

However, in Laura Spragg's first over she claimed Lynch's wicket, leg before wicket, for 29 runs. They came off 46 balls and included five fours.

Superb bowling by Emily Drumm who took three for eight and outstanding fielding by Haidee Tiffen, who took three catches and provided three returns for run outs, left England stranded after deciding to bat first.

Rebecca Steele had the satisfaction of gaining her first international wicket when Laura Spragg attempted to blast a cover drive past Haidee Tiffen, but Tiffen was too good and held her third catch of the innings with ease.

It won't be the last as long as the 18-year-old left-arm spinner is able to maintain the quality of the flight she exhibited during her spell of 10 overs and one wicket for 24 runs.

Aimee Mason finished with one for 22 from her 10 overs.

Sarah Collyer did her bit to keep the score climbing but lacked sufficient support, although she did play some well-struck shots while accumulating four boundaries in her innings of 29 off 71 balls.

She was dismissed in the 40th over when stumped by Rebecca Rolls from Frances King's bowling for 29 off 71 balls. England were 108 for seven at that stage.

King then claimed Mandie Godliman's wicket when she was leg before wicket for two when the score was 121.

England failed to learn the lessons from their match with Australia yesterday when at one stage they lost three wickets to run outs in five balls. Laura Harper was unable to beat off Haidee Tiffen's throw from cover when she had set off for a run but was turned back, but not quickly enough to regain her ground.

England were in danger of not batting out their 50 overs and were 133 for nine wickets.

Again it was Tiffen who chased a shot from Claire Taylor deep into the cover field, slid into the ball and then regathered to pick up and throw to the bowler's end where Nicola Browne took the bails off with Lucy Pearson out for one.

The conditions were perfect as England decided to bat first but found themselves struggling to deal with the New Zealand attack.

England were 82 for five wickets with Sarah Collyer on 13 and Laura Spragg on one.

England had been undone, initially, by captain Emily Drumm who bowled her gentle-paced outswingers to take three wickets for eight runs from her five oveers.

Most importantly, she claimed the wicket of Clare Taylor and then trapped Arran Thompson leg before wicket while Laura Newton was bowled for eight off 18 balls.

Then left-arm spinner Rebecca Steele and off-spinner Aimee Mason bowled in tandem and tied down the batsmen and at one stage England went 18 balls without a run.

Sarah Collyer joined captain Clare Connor and they attempted to build the innings and were just starting to gather some momentum when Connor was well caught by Haidee Tiffen off Mason for 16 runs. In the same over as her dismissal, Connor had moved down the pitch and blasted a ball with power through to the long off boundary.

England, having decided to bat first were 46 for three with New Zealand captain Emily Drumm doing the damage.

An early breakthrough for New Zealand occurred when England's Charlotte Edwards played forward to a ball from Kate Pulford only to see the ball snapped up in a sharp catch by Haidee Tiffen. Edwards had scored four and England were 14 for one in the sixth over.

Clare Taylor was soon into action and played a crisp cover drive from Frances King's bowler to resiter her first boundary then off the last ball of the same over she square cut another boundary.

Drumm brought herself on at first change after Nicola Browne had trouble with her line, at one stage bowling three wides in succession. In her first four overs she conceded 14 runs, six of them from wides.

Drumm picked up a key wicket the ball after Arran Thompson played a cover drive for three runs. Then any anguish Drumm might have felt when Michelle Lynch slipped before she could get across to stop the shot was erased when off the next ball Clare Taylor played a cut shot which was nicely picked up by Maia Lewis in the gully.

Taylor had scored 10 runs from 23 balls and England were 39 for two wickets.

Laura Newton joined Thompson and was soon into action, her first boundary being a hard struck cover drive which raced across a very quick outfield from King's bowling.

However, in the next over Drumm bowled a full ball which Thompson attempted to whip away but she failed to connect and was trapped leg before wicket for 12, scored off 41 balls.

Conditions are perfect for the match with warm temperatures already and not a cloud in the sky. A slight cooling breeze is wafting across the ground.

England go into the game pointless while New Zealand need to take a win in order to bolster their prospects of winning a place in the final next weekend.

England have continued their move to open the batting with Arran Thompson to partner Charlotte Edwards

The game is the first of the tournament to be played on Lincoln 3, and the pitch looks a little green but in typical Lincoln University fashion it should provide some consistent bounce once the early movement disappears.

New Zealand's top scorer from their game with India, Nicola Payne has a hamstring strain while Louise Milliken suffered a slight side strain and both have been rested for this match.

The teams are:

New Zealand: Emily Drumm (captain), Rebecca Rolls, Michelle Lynch, Kate Pulford, Haidee Tiffen, Maia Lewis, Aimee Mason, Sara McGlashan, Frances King, Nicola Browne, Rebecca Steele. (12th man - Louice Milliken).

England: Clare Connor (captain), Charlotte Edwards, Arran Thompson, Claire Taylor, Laura Newton, Sarah Collyer, Laura Spragg, Laura Harper, Mandie Godliman, Clare Taylor, Lucy Pearson. (12th man - Dawn Holden).