CASTRIES, St. Lucia (AP) - Star left-hander Brian Lara enjoyed his best innings of the home season Sunday, hitting a fine, unbeaten 59 to lift West Indies to a convincing seven-wicket win over New Zealand with 10 overs to spare in the third one-day cricket international at the Beausejour Cricket Ground.

Lara hit five fours and one six off 80 balls to propel the home team to a winning score of 211 for three off 40 overs. New Zealand was earlier restricted to a modest 210 for seven off 50 overs after winning the toss and choosing to bat. The West Indies took early wickets again and only Lou Vincent (60 not out) and Chris Harris (50) made significant contributions.

The West Indies lead the five-match Cable & Wireless series 2-0 with two matches to play.

The home team completed its second successive victory of the weekend at this new venue after its disciplined bowlers laid the platform.

Their batsmen completed the job, keeping the 12,000-strong crowd on their feet for most of the innings as they lashed 23 fours and a six along the way.

Openers Chris Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, as they had done on Saturday, provided a flying start in a stand of 63 in 11.2 overs.

Left-hander Chanderpaul, following his match-winning 108 not out the previous day, scored 30 off 43 balls with four fours.

Gayle was just as fluent, cracking six typically meaty boundaries in 37 off 47 deliveries.

But both openers fell in quick succession, and at 79 for two, the visitors sensed a way back.

Chanderpaul lofted Chris Harris' second ball to midoff, while Gayle was bowled by an excellent delivery from the impressive Paul Hitchcock that clipped off stump.

But Ramnaresh Sarwan and Brian Lara paddled the West Indies out of the murky waters and were soon motoring toward victory.

The pair added 77 for the third wicket before Sarwan fell for 42. The Guyanese right-hander was trapped leg before by Harris after hitting six fours off 62 balls.

All the while, the 33-year-old Lara was gradually finding the touch that had deserted him throughout the series against India.

After Sarwan's dismissal, the left-hander took over, displaying a glimpse of the fluent strokeplay that has made him one of the leading batsmen of his generation.

He hit five fours and one massive six off Harris that sailed over long-off.

Ryan Hinds seized a rare opportunity to hit the winning runs as he compiled a run-a-ball, unbeaten 18.

The earlier loss of wickets again cost New Zealand dearly, after the team had batted first on another good batting pitch.

The top order wobbled and never recovered after stuttering to 74 for four in the 20th over.

Off-spinner Chris Gayle again proved miserly and collected the crucial wickets of captain Stephen Fleming (34) and Craig McMillan (5). Gayle ended with two for 34 off 10 overs.

Fleming and Nathan Astle added 25 for the first wicket, their best start of the series, before Astle fell for 12, his third straight failure.

Fleming and wicket-keeper Chris Nevin steadied things in adding 44 for the second wicket before three wickets tumbled for five runs as West Indies took control.

Corey Collymore provided the key breakthrough with the wicket of Nevin (20), plumb leg before wicket.

Gayle then dealt the crushing blows by gaining another obvious leg before decision against Fleming and having McMillan caught at midon.

Vincent and Harris helped restore some respectability in adding 90 for the fifth wicket off 23 overs but could not apply the acceleration when necessary.

Harris completed his half century off 78 deliveries with five fours, but fell to his next ball trying to attack Mervyn Dillon.

When Collymore produced a beautiful outswinger to bowl Scott Styris for one, Vincent was left with the lower order to help him through the late overs.

The right-hander managed a couple of lusty blows of successive deliveries from Collymore to ruin the bowler's figures, but New Zealand's fell well short of a challenging score.

Vincent, the 23-year-old from Auckland, hit two fours and a six off his 86 balls.

Collymore finished with two for 36 despite conceding 13 from his last over. Dillon claimed two for 40 off 10 overs.

The fourth match of the series is in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, on Wednesday.