Gillespie's four sets up 36-run win

New Zealand A beat Queensland by 36 runs at the Albury Oval to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series. Martin Guptill and Neil Broom scored half-centuries to lead the visitors to 263 for 6 and Mark Gillespie and Michael Mason took seven wickets between them to successfully defend the target.

New Zealand's openers, Aaron Redmond and Guptill, shared an opening stand of 67 after being put in by Queensland captain Chris Simpson. Teenage medium-pacer Alister McDermott, the son of former Australian fast bowler Craig McDermott, provided the breakthrough by trapping Redmond lbw for 25. Guptill scored 57 before he was caught behind off Cameron Boyce with the score on 99.

Broom scored a brisk 64 off 71 balls with two fours and three sixes and New Zealand were pushed towards 263 by useful middle-order contributions from James Marshall, who made 44, Greg Hay and Grant Elliott.

Queensland used as many as eight bowlers but they managed to pick up only six wickets among them with McDermott and Nathan Rimmington taking two each.

Queensland's run-chase was jolted by wickets falling in clusters and the only resistance came from opener Ryan Broad who made 72. Gillespie picked up his first wicket by bowling the other opener, Nathan Reardon, for 10. The second-wicket partnership between Broad and Lee Carseldine had reached 40 before New Zealand picked up two wickets - Carseldine and Glen Batticciotto - in quick succession.

Simpson joined Broad and they steadied the innings with a 102-run stand for the fourth wicket. Gillespie, however, broke the resistance by bowling Simpson for 44 and had Andy Bichel caught behind four runs later to leave Queensland on 155 for 5. Their challenge came to an end when Broom breached Broad's defences on the same score.

Gillespie finished with figures of 4 for 31 and was backed up by Mason who picked up 3 for 45.