Michael Vaughan admitted England's biggest victory over Australia in one-day history would do their confidence no harm ahead of the Ashes.

England took a 1-0 lead in the NatWest Challenge, the inaugural contest under the new regulations which include substitutes, by the gaping margin of nine wickets, the largest in 83 limitedovers contests between the countries stretching 35 years.

Marcus Trescothick's unbeaten 104, his tenth oneday hundred, got the hosts home with four overs remaining alongside captain Vaughan, who finished 59 not out.

That came after Australia mustered 219 for seven on a treacherous surface under slate grey skies, conditions which exaggerated seam movement.

"It can't hinder your confidence when you win by nine wickets against a team like Australia but how much an effect the one-dayers have on the Ashes, who knows?" said Vaughan.

"History suggests it won't have any but, as individuals, there will only be two more knocks before the series starts, so you have to make the most of every opportunity you get."

Unlike last Saturday's tie in the NatWest Series final at Lord's when England lost half their side in the opening ten overs, they negotiated half their allotment yesterday before Andrew Strauss perished.

Vaughan said: "We learnt a lot from Saturday's game; when you chase quite a smallish total, it is important not to let them back into the game and at Lord's we let them back in too early. At 33 for five, it looked like Australia would win.

"Today, we just wanted to give ourselves a platform if we needed to accelerate towards the last ten or 15 overs as we had players down the order to do that."

Trescothick was caught off a no-ball, on five, off Brett Lee and was also involved in a moment of controversy when wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist claimed a catch, standing up to the wicket of medium pacer Andrew Symonds, with the Somerset left-hander undefeated on 81.

Umpire Rudi Koertzen turned down the appeals but Australia captain Ricky Ponting made his thoughts known to the officials before Vaughan intervened from the non-striker's end.

"I was just trying to calm him down a little bit, he was going off and the last thing you want to see is Ricky going at the umpire," said Vaughan.

Trescothick got to three figures against the Australians for the first time in any contest by driving through the covers off Jason Gillespie.

Given his paltry return against them and Australian coach John Buchanan's comments about his struggles, it would have been a sweet moment for the 29-year-old.

"It is nice to get it out of the way more than anything else, it was nice to get it done and dusted and move on to bigger things, " said Trescothick.

Fortune was definitely on England's side in the chase as Strauss, who made 41, was spilled by Gilchrist in the sixth over, sent down by Glenn McGrath, when the batsman had contributed only one of the score of 14 without loss.

Ponting said: "Trescothick really got away from us after being out off a no-ball; we allowed Strauss to play the way he likes to play, as well; we bowled too short to him today and any time we made him try to drive us, he couldn't do it so there are a few areas we have to tighten up on ahead of Sunday's match."

Most things went for England, the most influential being the toss. Ponting said: "The wicket was very hard to bat on this morning and then of course the clouds went away when it was England's turn to bat.

"That's the most challenging one-day wicket I have ever batted on. It was definitely contrasting conditions, the first innings was played at Headingley under clouds and the second was played at Adelaide or somewhere like that! It was a really good batting wicket."

Most worrying for the world champions is the loss of form of fast bowler Gillespie ahead of the main event of the summer. The Australians have contemplated leaving him out.

"We have just got to see how he feels about it, whether he wants to keep playing or whether he feels better having a game or a couple of games off going into the Test series," said Ponting.

"He was a bit below his best again, as a few of us were, just as I thought he was starting to get it right recently.

"He has always been one you can rely on in any kind of situation so this may be a confidence thing.