DAY FOUR
An impressive 193 — his maiden first-class century — from 21-year-old right-hander Ken McClure ensured defending champs Canterbury accomplished a remarkable, come-from-behind victory on the last day at windswept and interesting Queen's Park.
Video scorecard
Few saw this result coming after the Volts had dominated the occasionally weather-interrupted and windy first three days, yet Canterbury would snatch a five-wicket win after McClure's unbeaten effort: 193 not out off 266 balls, batting at five, taking his average for the season to a whopping 75.14 — second only to SKYCITY Northern Knight and BLACKCAP BJ Watling (80.66) in this year's Plunket Shield to date.
McClure could enjoy every minute of it as the afternoon tapered to a chase of just 70-odd, five wickets still in hand as he reached his 150 and then continued to the jubilant end.
It was a far cry from the outset of the morning when Canterbury's backs had been, if not quite against the wall, certainly in its general vicinity. They had required 335 on that final day, with three relatively cheap and good wickets gone already.
But in cricket, anything can happen. Most particularly when you make it happen.
Conditions were windy
Peter Fulton had provided the early impetus, two sixes in a half-century that eventually stopped at 70, helping McClure get to his own half-ton in the interim during the morning session. Captain Fulton now has 9,880 first-class runs, with a maximum possible six innings left in the summer to crack 10,000.
The captain and his young assistant had, moreover, taken Canterbury from 57/3 to 188/4, and only one more wicket would fall in the remainder of the classy chase.
Now joined by another wise old head in Andrew Ellis, McClure went to lunch on the edge at 96, then posted his maiden first-class century after the break, having raised it off 141 balls with 16 boundaries and two sixes in the mix.
Another 60 balls and he would have his 150, and Canterbury well in sight of their winning quest.
Ellis would fall on 32, but Todd Astle stepped in to help steer it home with an unbeaten 48 in an unbroken 96-stand with McClure.
DAY THREE
Stumps score: Canterbury 62/3 in second innings (Mark Craig 2-22). Earlier, SBS Bank Otago Volts 225/3 declared (Anaru Kitchen 61, Michael Bracewell 53, Neil Broom 31 not out, Jimmy Neesham 41 not out). Canterbury require 335 on the final day at Queen's Park
Late in the day, three relatively cheap second innings wickets got Canterbury's run chase off to a dour start, matching the weather at a frigid and damp Queen's Park.
Jacob Duffy had lured an edge to slips from opener Leo Carter. Michael Davidson went into similar fashion to spinner Mark Craig, then Craig struck again before the day was done, tweaking one around Chad Bowes' defences to find his off pole.
That left Peter Fulton (22*) and Ken McClure (four*) with a mission to calm things down before stumps and then fight on the next day.
Earlier, a ground delay had meant play did not start until noon, before the Volts set about adding another 225 runs to their first innings lead, punctuated by intrusions of rain.
They would declare just three down, Brad Wilson and Anaru Kitchen having put on 40 for the first wicket before Kitchen combined with Michael Bracewell (53) for another 98.
Kitchen showed some style, ramping Hamish Bennett for six behind point and pulling Andrew Ellis over the midwicket boundary until the pair fell in quick succession.
Neil Broom (31) and Jimmy Neesham (48) then put on the gas for a stand of 77 in 13.1 overs before skipper Wilson called them in, a target of 397 in front of the Cantabrians with just over a day to get them.
DAY TWO
Stumps score: Canterbury 180 all out in the first innings (Peter Fulton 39, Chad Bowes 30, Michael Davidson 44; Mark Craig 4-40. Earlier: SBS Bank Otago Volts for 351 (Neil Broom 117, Derek de Boorder 69; Matt Henry 3-99, Kyle Jamieson 3-54) on 9 March 2016 at Queen’s Park, Invercargill
Dismissed on his overnight score just six balls into the second morning, the fall of Neil Broom gave Canterbury just the start they were looking for as a challenging day two unfurled at Queen’s Park.
Young Kyle Jamieson had jammed Broom up and bowled him, but the early elation would be soon quietened somewhat as experienced Derek de Boorder knuckled down and locked up his end — adding another 52 runs to his overnight score before eventually becoming the last Volts wicket to fall, shortly before lunch.
The pace trio of Jamieson, Matt Henry and Hamish Bennett had meanwhile attacked his partners, claiming a further four wickets among them in the morning session as the tail fell over one by one without causing Canterbury much damage.
It was spinner Todd Astle who finally got the doughty de Boorder to spade a catch, his resistance having totalled three hours, having pushed the Volts from 267/5 at the fall of Broom to a solid enough 351.
Despite good starts from captain Peter Fulton (39) — opening the innings, and first drop Chad Bowes (run out on 30); the Volts practically zoomed through Canterbury in return.
Fulton and Astle fell from successive deliveries in a successful over for Mark Craig, the latter run out for a duck without having faced a ball after Andy Ellis attempted a tight single.
Ellis did not survive much longer himself, and it was symptomatic of a chaotic innings that was only temporarily resuscitated when Cameron Fletcher (who batted an hour and a half for his 15) and Martin Davidson (44 off 77) ground out a 59-run stand in salvage for the seventh wicket.
When Fletcher squirted one straight to a waiting short leg, it triggered a rapid back-end cascade that brought the innings to a halt just eight overs later, Canterbury faced with a 171-run first innings deficit and the Volts set to begin their second dig in the morning, naturally looking to add to Canterbury's pain.
DAY ONE
Stumps score: SBS Bank Otago Volts 263/4 (Michael Bracewell 32, Jimmy Neesham 75, Neil Broom 117 not out) v Canterbury at Queen's Park, Invercargill, 8 March 2016
Neil Broom's powerful season continues.
The SBS Bank Otago Volts' most productive batsman clipped up his 17th first-class century, cemented with a boundary off Kyle Jamieson, in the last session of a wind-blown day in Invercargill.
The 32-year-old's patience had stretched over more than five and a half hours at the crease (and this after a ground delay had eaten up the first scheduled hour of play). His hundred on the opening day of round seven was also his 14th first-class three-figure effort for the Volts, which now puts him in equal third spot on the side's all-time first-class list. Craig Cumming holds the record with 21, Bert Sutcliffe made 17.
The number four had had excellent support from Jimmy Neesham (75), getting into their work after lunch and the kindred spirits combining in the windy conditions. The duo carefully slathered on 145 for the fourth wicket to take the Volts from a shaky start to a solid foundation.
Earlier, Michael Bracewell had fallen to Andrew Ellis for a fairly lively 32, Ellis bowling into the wind to put the Volts at 74/3 in the morning session.
His successors were more circumspect. When Neesham was bowled by legspinner Todd Astle after three hours' toil, Derek de Boorder stepped up to the plate and continued the solid support, remaining with Broom until the close, when bad light ended the day.
Canterbury captain Peter Fulton had sent them in but, despite the quick loss of the Volts' stand-in captain Brad Wilson (trapped by the awkward Jamieson for just one) and Anaru Kitchen falling caught and bowled to Matt Henry, the Volts put their heads down and battled their way back in, and then onto a stable launching position by the end of the belligerent day.
Broom was unbeaten on 117, having ticked off his 7000th first-class run in the process. He has now scored two Plunket Shield centuries this season (having thumped an unbeaten 131 in the opening round) to go with three List A Ford Trophy centuries this summer.
Yet to feature, but listed as next to bat, Christi Viljoen has been named in the Volts playing eleven for his first-class debut.
