CRICKET: More torment as Black Caps crush England; Seven-wicket rout at Riverside.

Byline: MYLES HODGSON

MICHAEL VAUGHAN admitted his exasperation last night with an England batting lineup performing way below themselves in one-day cricket. For the second time in three days,England completely missed their score in the NatWest Series -this time mustering a paltry 101 all out in awkward conditions on a grey day at Chester-le-Street.

The upshot -after a maiden five wicket haul for New Zealand swing bowler James Franklin -was a second successive seven-wicket defeat, following Vaughan and Co's weekend debacle against the West Indies.

The England captain therefore has to somehow galvanise his out-of-form side in time for their second day-night fixture,against the Windies at Headingley tomorrow if they are to salvage a possible route to next month's Lord's final in this triangular competition.

Vaughan said: ``You have to be seriously concerned. If you get bowled out for 147 and 101 it is not good enough on a wicket where 180 or 200 would have been a very competitive total with Steve Harmison in your team.

``You have to hold your hands up as individuals and say we are not playing well enough.

``We are not batting well enough as a unit to give our bowlers the chance to win the game.''

Fast bowler Harmison put England's sorry total into perspective with three top-order Kiwi wickets, which suggested even another 60 or so runs might have helped the hosts make a game of it.

The damage, though,had been done long before -when Vaughan,his opening partner Marcus Trescothick and the rest of England's first five contributed to their own problems against the swinging ball.

The captain continued: ``Tres will be the first to admit he probably chose the wrong option,but you have to give Franklin credit for the way he swung it.

``On a wicket like that, you will always get the odd ball you cannot really play, but we did play too many loose shots as well.

``We must make sure that when we bat first we give our bowlers something to bowl at.

``It was a difficult wicket to bat on,and if we had got 200 we would have put New Zealand under pressure. But we just were not good enough to get the runs on the board.''

Time is short now for England to somehow bring a modicum of their outstanding Test match form to the one-day arena in Leeds.

For Vaughan, the memory of a 3-0 Test series win over the Kiwis must already be beginning to fade.

He discounted the idea that England are habitually too gung-ho in the first 15 overs -particularly in home conditions -or that their limited-overs batting order is ill-advised.

``The one positive you can take from it is that we get back on the horse on Thursday night -and we must play a lot better,''he said.

``I don't think the order is the problem. The problem area is we are just not playing well enough.

``You have to be honest and hold your hands up as a team and group of batters that we are not doing it.''

After their Nottingham defeat against the Windies, England had unscheduled net practice on Monday -but they will not be sentencing themselves to the same again today.

The captain concluded: ``It is a mental thing now. One more net is not going to make a difference.

``The difference will be in the top six inches,and that is where we need to get ourselves ready for Thursday's game.

``When you play as well we have in the Tests you take the praise,and when you play badly you have to take the criticism. The boys have to be big enough and strong enough to take it.''

Franklin, meanwhile, hinted he too thought England's bats men might have been compliant in their own downfall after being put in first under cloudy skies.

``I think we would have been pretty happy with 100-5 or even 120-5,'' said the man who came into the Kiwi squad from Lancashire League club cricket this month only because of a spate of injuries among the tourists.

``But 65-7 was the result of good bowling, a little bit of bad batting and some luck.''

In fact,Franklin claimed he was not entirely at ease with himself and needed things to go his way yesterday.

He explained: ``I did not actually feel that great out the re. I was not that happy in my run-up,and between the wicket balls I thought there were a few loose ones -but when it is your day,it is your day. I felt as though I have bowled better than that in the last three weeks.''

CAPTION(S):

England captain Michael Vaughan is bowled by New Zealand's James Franklin as the hosts slump to 30-2 at TheRiverside; Steve Harmison hooks a Chris Cairns delivery during a defiant last-wicket stand; Five-wicket James Franklin celebrates his dismissal of Ashley Giles yesterday