The game opened in overcast but dry conditions at Hampshire's Northlands ground which was staging its first every One-Day international. The West Indies were buoyed by the return of their hugely experienced opening attack and Curtly Ambrose's value to the side was immediately underlined, when he found the edge of Nathan Astle's bat, who was caught by keeper Ridley Jacobs for just 2. Walsh made a further breakthrough in the fifth over, when Matt Horne misjudged a pull shot which looped up into the safe hands of Brian Lara at mid-on.

With both openers gone, Ambrose and Walsh continued to keep a tight reign on the Kiwi batsmen, bowling a nagging line and consistently beating the outside edge. With a combined age of 71 and over 400 One-Day international wickets between them, West Indies stalwarts Walsh and Ambrose were indeed living proof of the maxim, there's many a good tune played on an old fiddle. But when young paceman Reon King replaced Walsh he struck immediately, ending Stephen Fleming's miserable 17 ball duck and giving the ever reliable Jacobs another catch.

The West Indies pacemen continued to dominate, with Ambrose loping in like a panther from the Northlands Road end and finding both pace and bounce. King' s raw pace also troubled the New Zealanders and Roger Twose, whose gutsy innings had proved crucial against the Aussies was caught by Stuart Williams at slip off King for a duck, to leave the Kiwis struggling at 31-4.

In cool, overcast conditions, the Kiwi's total crept along, but they had to wait until the 21st over to post their first boundary when Craig McMillan, cut King past point for four. Ambrose was magnificent in his opening spell and bowled clean through to finish with impressive figures of 10-0-19-1. As New Zealand posted their first fifty, McMillan and Chris Cairns began to chance their arm and play a few shots, but Phil Simmons nipped in to have McMillan well caught behind for 32 and stifle Kiwi hopes at 59-5

Mervyn Dillon the final bowler of the West Indies pace quartet was introduced and soon struck, catching Cairns trying to work the ball through the on-side and spooning up an easy catch to Brian Lara again. At 75-6 and with only two batsman making scores of any significance, the Kiwi's brilliant start to their World Cup campaign was beginning to falter.

Adam Parore and Chris Harris began a rescue bid with a defiant seventh wicket partnership which was worth fifty in ten overs, but Parore perished soon after, strangled down the leg side off Dillon to leave the Kiwis at a parlous 125-7. As the game entered the final ten overs, New Zealand were desperate to post at least a competitive total, but the returning Walsh kept things tight as a lone Windies supporter goaded him with a shout of "Take a break man, you're looking tired". Walsh responded by producing one of the fastest balls of the day which beat the bat and positively thudded into Jacob's gloves. Dion Nash chipped Dillon into the waiting arms of Stuart Williams at Short Square Leg for just 1, but Harris continued to play well, supported by Gavin Larsen as the pair edged New Zealand toward if not safety, at least respectability.

With Phil Simmons and Mervyn Dillon bowling in tandem at the death, Gavin Larsen attempted to pull Dillon and gave Ridley Jacobs the easiest of chances which allowed him to equal the World Cup record for both the number of catches and dismissals by a Wicket- Keeper. Just one over later, Harris attempted to flick Dillon for six over deep square leg and was pouched by Sherwin Campbell to leave the Kiwis despondent as they recorded 156 all out, their lowest ever total in World Cup competition.

New Zealand needed early wickets to put the West Indies under pressure, but Sherwin Campbell and Ridley Jacobs played solidly, as they looked to blunt the new-ball attack of Dion Nash and Geoff Allott. Nash had a huge appeal for LBW against Jacobs turned down, but that was about as close as the Kiwis got to making an early breakthrough.

The West Indians certainly weren't at their most fluent, but appeared relatively untroubled, until Sherwin Campbell fell leg-before to Nash for eight with the score on 29. To cries of "Go Kiwi, go!" from their fans in the south west stand, the New Zealanders began to turn the screw and with some tight bowling from Nash and Cairns, the Windies' run-rate slowly began to stagnate.

Gavin Larsen was brought on to tighten up proceedings, but the arrival of the drinks cart sparked a mini pitch invasion as a radio controlled car buzzed the wicket which at least raised a few cheers from the somnolent crowd. Jacobs and Jimmy Adams continued their slow but steady progress with a few minor alarms, but with the score on 49, Geoff Allott found the edge of Adams' bat who was caught behind and departed for a turgid 3 from 29 balls.

With Brian Lara arriving in the middle, the Windies posted their fifty and the target was soon reduced to under a hundred when Jacobs smote Larson for a straight six. With the sun beating down, Jacobs started to accelerate and began playing some powerful shots, with Lara starting cautiously, but soon easing some trademark boundaries of his own. Lara gave a chance when he flashed hard at Cairns with the edge just evaded the flying Keeper, but Ridley Jacobs advanced towards his fifty which was made from 88 balls and included seven fours.

With Jacobs and Lara at the crease, West Indies looked to be coasting to a convincing win in the early evening sunshine, but Lara perished in the 36th over, giving Harris the charge and skying the ball to Dion Nash who ran around to collect at wide mid-on. Lara made 36 with 4 fours and one six and his 72 run partnership with Jacobs provided the backbone of the West Indies' run chase. With Stuart Williams joining him, there was just time for Jacobs to loft Allott for another six and finish unbeaten on a career best 80, as the fourth wicket pair saw the Windies home without further alarms.