Ryder, Worker star in Central Districts' win

Jesse Ryder's third successive half-century of the tournament capped off a dominating batting performance by Central Districts as they beat Wellington by 55 runs via the Duckworth-Lewis method in North Palmerston. Their third win in five matches put them behind table-toppers Canterbury on the points table.

Ryder's 74-ball 83 was one of three half-centuries for Central Districts as they posted 324 for 7 after being sent in to bat. That he had a platform set when he came out to bat at No. 3 was courtesy George Worker (64) and Ben Smith (57), who put on 112. The next highest stand of the innings was 74 for the third wicket between Ryder and Will Young, who made 34 to pave the way for a strong finish.

Michael Pollard and Michael Papps, the Wellington openers, started slowly by adding 61 in 13.5 overs, but the loss of three quick wickets further slowed their progress. Wellington had moved on to 141 for 4 in 29.1 overs when rain forced an end to proceedings, with Central Districts well ahead by the D/L method.

Neil Broom's unbeaten 124 was the standout in a low-scoring thriller, which Otago won by three runs in Whangarei to register their first victory in the competition. Otago's 298 for 6 nearly didn't prove enough as Anton Devcich and BJ Watling led Northern Districts' fightback with 81 and 56 respectively. When Devcich was dismissed, Northern Districts still needed 96 off 62 balls.

Watling and Daryl Mitchell (31) kept them in a hunt with a 55-run stand off just 38 balls, but their dismissal in the space of 13 deliveries pulled the plug on their chase. With four losses in five matches, Northern Districts are currently at the bottom in the league standings.