Two blistering partnerships set up an outstanding Australian Academy score of 332/8 to shut New Zealand's Academy out of their one-day match in Townsville yesterday.

Darren Wotherspoon played the cornerstone innings of the game, of 126 runs off 118 balls.

Coming together with the score 8/1 in the fourth over, Wotherspoon joined Chris Simpson in a 106-run stand off a withering 11.4 overs.

Simpson was out for 87 scored off 53 balls with three sixes and 12 fours, when he gave Jamie How a catch from Mark Gillespie's bowling off the last ball of the 15th over.

Three runs later Joseph Yovich had Liam Buchanan caught for one, but it proved a short-lived breakthrough as George Bailey helped Wotherspoon add another 118 runs before Bailey was caught of Yovich's bowling by Jeetan Patel for 43.

Wotherspoon carried on to be the sixth wicket to fall for 285 with his score on 126 when the How/Gillespie combination got together again. Wotherspoon hit four sixes and six fours in his innings which allowed Australia to finish their 50 overs on 332.

All the New Zealand bowlers suffered. The previously economical Kyle Mills was wicketless for 70 runs off his 10 overs. James McMillan had two for 60 off 10 and Gillespie three for 57 off eight overs.

New Zealand set out with intent, getting to 32 in the seventh over but they lost the promoted Mills and How off successive balls, and then when Jesse Ryder, a key man in any assault, departed for 23 when the score had crawled through to 40 by the 12th over, the cause was lost.

Rob Nicol took the chance to score 58 off 79 balls but the only other double figure contributions were 19 from Yovich and 15 from Stuart Mills and New Zealand were dismissed for 165 in the 40th over.

Brett Geeves took two for 20 off seven overs, Aaron Bird two for 31 off eight and Simpson two for 42 off 10.

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