Australian women crush England again at Lincoln

The chances of England's women beating Australia's Southern Stars are, if anything, less than England men's of beating Steve Waugh's Australia.

However, for a few overs at Lincoln No 3 today in the World Series of Women's Cricket, England's Australian coach John Harmer thought his side had an opportunity, with Australia 22 for two wickets and Karen Rolton back in the pavilion, bowled by Clare Taylor for four.

It wasn't meant to be for England, though, as they ended up on the wrong end of a 106-run hiding at the hands of their old foes.

"When we had them two down that was a nice chance to go on with the game, but it wasn't the way it worked out. We just had a lesson in how to play steady cricket.

"We've been up and down really. We need more improvement really. I don't know where it's going to come from, but the batters are the ones who've got to do it. There's five batters in the team and someone's got to make a score," he said.

No England batsman has made a half century in the tournament, and Clare Connor's 29 was England's best out of a dismal total of 120 on a perfect summer day today.

Most spectators opted to watch New Zealand play India on the neighbouring Bert Sutcliffe Oval, missing Australia's experienced duo of Belinda Clark and Cathryn Fitzpatrick showing their unwavering class by wrecking some of England's younger players' promising efforts.

Clark, Australia's most capped woman, found form after scoring less than 50 runs per 100 balls during innings of six, 23 and 35 in Australia's three comfortable wins last week, which confirmed her team as clear tournament favourite.

"We were in a bit of trouble early with the bat, but we fought back well and I knew that we would be able to recover if we could just hold the flow of wickets falling," she said.

"I knew we were capable of bowling and fielding that well, so I wasn't overly concerned."

Clark hit 81 off 107 deliveries in Australia's total of 226 for eight wickets, forcing the pace against England left-armer Lucy Pearson by pulling her shorter balls for five of her eight boundaries. She extended her record to 26 One-Day International half centuries after 71 balls and 82 minutes.

"I haven't hit the ball that well, but today I hit it a bit better. Cricket's like that, one day you can be hitting it well and the next day not, so I was happy with how I did today," she said

Fitzpatrick pushed her ODI wicket-taking record to 103, 16 ahead of England's evergreen Taylor, who took one for 26 today.

Despite another world-beater, Rolton, failing for the first time in the tournament, Melanie Jones (37) and Julie Hayes (an ODI best 44) took up the slack for Australia.

Some deliveries kept low and England's slower bowlers capitalised, particularly Sarah Collyer (two for 31) and Laura Harper (one for 29).

The umpires submitted a verbal report to groundsman Karl Johnson about the up and down, worn Lincoln No 3 wicket, which never let batsmen play strokes with freedom.

England opener Arran Thompson showed a little form with four boundaries, but Kris Britt (four for 16), whom Australia selected as a batsman, took two wickets with her leg spin in consecutive balls, including Collyer, who had taken two in two for England earlier. England were then 45 for six wickets and never recovered.

They were Britt's first international wickets and showed the 19-year-old's potential in a team where the thirty-somethings prospered today.

Australia meet India on Tuesday and New Zealand on Waitangi Day. Clark said Lisa Sthalekar will return to the team for that match, but "all in all we're pretty happy with where we're at."

As for New Zealand, she said, "they're always tough, and we'll back up again and play them in the final as well. We've still got a lot of cricket ahead of us."

England play New Zealand tomorrow and India on Thursday.

Harmer said: "We've got to get away with a win somewhere along the line and we've only got two games to do that. We've got to restock ourselves tonight."