Cricket: Wellington christen new stadium well

WELLINGTON - Wellington christened the new WestpacTrust Stadium with their first Shell Cup cricket win of the summer yesterday, but the joy was tempered by captain Chris Nevin suffering a recurrence of a groin strain.

Rain may have curtailed the opening-day party - already postponed a day by the weather - at the stadium, but it was never going to save Northern Districts in the third round one-dayer.

Wellington were eventually declared 59-run winners under the Duckworth-Lewis method of calculating matches shortened by the weather.

It was a disappointment for the crowd of 4200 that rain settled in just after 5pm and denied Wellington the chance to finish off Northern in style as they were poised to do. But after losses in the first two rounds of the cup, Vaughn Johnson's men were happy to take victory however it came.

But it paled into insignificance last night when Johnson confirmed that Nevin would be unavailable to lead Wellington in today's fourth-round match against Central Districts in Waikanae.

Nevin etched his name into the record books with a powerful cut shot to score the first runs at the stadium. It set him up for his third Shell Cup half-century and the distinction of being the match's highest runmaker, his 56 propelling Wellington to 216 in 49 overs after being sent in.