DAY FOUR
The SBS Bank Volts won by 61 runs after the SKYCITY Northern Knights lost seven wickets in this morning's session.
A dominant fourth day bowling display gave the SBS Bank Otago Volts an outright victory over the SKYCITY Northern Knights at University Oval.
The Knights had come into the final day’s play with a slight edge, sitting at 38/3 and requiring a further 163 runs for victory.
However, on a pitch that had offered assistance to the bowlers throughout the encounter, a batting collapse saw the Volts easily earn outright points.
The day started solidly for the visitors, bowling standout Ish Sodhi hitting three boundaries after having been inserted as nightwatchman late the previous evening.
That got the Knights to 52/3 — at which point their innings fell apart at the hands of the young fast bowler Jack Hunter.
Hunter took the wickets of Sodhi, Anton Devcich and Daryl Mitchell to put a huge dent in the Knights’ run chase, reducing them to 55/6.
From schoolboy debutant to leader of the pack in a few short years: Jacob Duffy
It got even better for the Volts as Jacob Duffy and Jimmy Neesham joined in on the action, Neesham dismissing Tim Seifert before Duffy got the big scalp of Joe Carter, who had grinded for 96 balls to make 26 runs.
At 61/8, the Knights hopes were effectively dead and buried, and they were also suddenly staring at a historically low total.
They avoided an entry in the record books though, thanks to opening bowlers Scott Kuggeleijn and Jimmy Baker who added 53 for the ninth wicket.
Scott Kuggeleijn supported Baker in the last ditch
Just as it looked like they could threaten reaching the total, Kuggeleijn fell and, 25 runs later, the innings ended at 139 – a loss of 61 runs.
Batting at number 10, Baker finished as the innings’ top scorer, making a career-best unbeaten 41, with five fours and two sixes.
Otago’s bowlers shared the spoils, but young seamers Duffy (3-28) and Hunter (3-27) were the difference-makers on the day.
The win is the Volts’ first of the Plunket Shield season, while the Knights will be ruing missing out on an excellent chance to gain ground on the competition frontrunners.
DAY THREE
Stumps score: SKYCITY Northern Knights 38/3 (second innings, Jacob Duffy 2-18) need 163 runs to win. Earlier, SBS Bank Otago Volts 287 all out in 76.3 overs (Hamish Rutherford 39, Brad Wilson 64, Michael Bracewell 96; Ish Sodhi career best 7-102) for a lead of 200.
A masterclass in leg-spin bowling from Ish Sodhi has given the SKYCITY Northern Knights an excellent chance at an outright win against the SBS Bank Otago Volts.
Sodhi claimed career-best figures of 7-102 as he ripped through a Volts team which looked on track to post a significant target for the Knights to chase.
Sodhi’s figures were the best by any player in the Plunket Shield, brought to you by Budget Rental, since Todd Astle’s eight-wicket haul in February 2014.
Yet his performance could still be in vain, the Knights having lost significant wickets before stumps in their chase of 201 for victory.
The Volts resumed at the start of the day at 33/0, and they continued that strong opening stand on day three.
Brad Wilson and Hamish Rutherford added 103 for the opening wicket before Rutherford became Sodhi’s first victim.
Michael Bracewell took over, the Volts at one stage reaching 176/2 – a healthy lead of 89 runs to build on, with eight wickets remaining.
However, it was Sodhi’s time to shine. The wicket of Neil Broom – chopped on to Sodhi’s bowling, started a slump.
Jimmy Neesham departed for a duck at the hands of Scott Kuggeleijn and that made it 177/4: he was the last bowler not named Sodhi to take a wicket in the innings, as the BLACKCAPS leggie took control.
Derek de Boorder (caught behind), Nathan McCullum (bowled) and Sam Wells (stumped) all were victims of Sodhi’s variations of pace, bounce and turn.
Bracewell was the man keeping Otago’s innings together, making an excellent 96. But Sodhi saw about his downfall as well, a caught-and-bowled decision creating some deliberation.
Northern was adamant in the legality of the caught-and-bowled, but Bracewell stood his ground, believing it to be a bump ball. After umpire consultation, he was ruled to be dismissed fairly, reducing the Volts to 280 for eight.
Seven runs later, their innings was over, a direct hit from Daryl Mitchell accompanied by a seventh, and final, Sodhi wicket as the Volts were dismissed for 287 – leaving the Knights a target of 201 to win.
That target was never likely to be straightforward on the University Oval wicket, and that proved the case as the Volts took three wickets before stumps.
Jacob Duffy dismissed the opening pair of Daniel Flynn (caught in the deep) and Dean Brownlie (lbw), before Bharat Popli swiped at a wide Wells delivery to succumb caught behind.
That left the Knights at 38/3 come the end of the day’s play, needing a further 163 runs from the middle and lower order batsmen tomorrow for victory.
Resuming at 10.30am tomorrow will be Joe Carter, along with nightwatchman Sodhi, who has a chance to add batting heroics to his inspired bowling performance.
DAY TWO
The SKYCITY Northern Knights may hold a slight lead, but their Plunket Shield clash with the SBS Bank Otago Volts is well and truly in the balance after an intriguing second day’s play.
The Knights hold a 55-run lead at the conclusion of the day at University Oval, but Otago’s batting line-up will be eager to make up for a poor first innings showing, and have classy contributors throughout the top and middle order.
However, the day was still won by the Knights, making a strong fist of their first innings after having dismissed Otago for 237 the day before.
Resuming at 53/2, the Knights lost Joe Carter and the in-form Bharat Popli early, but skipper Daniel Flynn found form at the perfect time.
Knights skipper Daniel Flynn found his touch. Photosport
Flynn anchored the top order with a composed 92, and found a partner in Anton Devcich, adding 95 for the fifth wicket.
Devcich took a particular liking to Nathan McCullum’s bowling, but fell a run short of a 50 after smashing seven fours and a six.
When Flynn and Tim Seifert departed in quick succession soon after, the Knights were 204/7 and requiring some lower order contributions to garner a first innings lead.
To the visitors’ pleasure, they got it from Daryl Mitchell, who backed up his century against the Central Stags last round with a well struck 73.
Mitchell added 46 with Scott Kuggeleijn (32) and 59 with Jimmy Baker (28) as the Knights secured an 87-run first innings lead.
They accumulated three first innings batting points to claim seven for the game, while the Volts snared four bowling points to add to their one batting point.
Facing a tricky period to survive until the end of play, the Volts reached 32 without loss at stumps, Hamish Rutherford and Brad Wilson combating the ND bowlers with some aggressive strokes – Rutherford even managing to take five from a delivery.
When play resumes at 10.30am tomorrow, the Knights will hold a 55-run lead, but the Volts’ impressive top order will be ready to fight for ascendancy.
DAY ONE
Stumps score: SKYCITY Northern Knights 53/2, trailing by 184 (first innings). Earlier: SBS Bank Otago Volts 237 all out in 66.1 overs (Brad Wilson 97, Sam Wells 33; Tony Goodin 4-50, Jimmy Baker 3-42, Scott Kuggeleijn 3-72) at University Oval, Dunedin
The SKYCITY Northern Knights have made a strong start to their clash with the SBS Bank Otago Volts, improving their prospects of making in-roads up the Plunket Shield ladder.
Coming into round five, the Knights sat in fourth spot on 37 points – 23 behind the competition frontrunners – the Mondiale Auckland Aces and Wellington Firebirds.
However, they’ll have a chance of closing that gap after an impressive bowling display at University Oval today.
The Knights dismissed the Volts for 237, seam bowlers picking up all 10 wickets as all of the Volts batsmen were either dismissed on or behind the crease.
The Volts lost the toss and were inserted on their University Oval wicket, immediately finding themselves in trouble at 3/2 after Jimmy Baker picked up the wickets of Hamish Rutherford and Michael Bracewell within a three-ball spell.
Regular wickets saw the Volts tumble to 51/4, but opener Brad Wilson was a mainstay, managing to put together helpful partnerships with the middle order.
Wilson added 45 with Derek de Boorder (20), 44 with Nathan McCullum (22) and 67 with Sam Wells (33), playing the anchor role in guiding Otago to a relatively safe position of 236/7.
Brad Wilson was a Knight until last season; now he has 97 against his former team
But unfortunately for the hosts, the Volts tail collapsed, losing three wickets for one run — including the loss of Wilson, who slashed at a Baker delivery to depart for a well-fought 97.
Bay of Plenty seamer Tony Goodin led the way with a career-best 4-50, bowling three batsmen and trapping another lbw in an excellent display, while Baker (3-42) and Scott Kuggeleijn (3-72) took the other wickets to fall.
The Knights picked up all four first innings bowling points, while the Volts took one batting point.
Left with 21 overs to navigate until the end of play, the Knights looked safe and sound through the first 15, Daniel Flynn playing quality shots and Dean Brownlie defending stoutly.
However, young Otago quick Jack Hunter had Brownlie caught in the slips with a good delivery, while nightwatchman Ish Sodhi also couldn’t last until stumps, trapped lbw by Jacob Duffy.
Flynn remained steady on 33 not out at stumps to take the Knights through to 53/2, while Joe Carter is with him on six.
Although the pitch was still offering plenty late in the day, the Knights have batting quality still to come, with three centurions from their clash last week against the Devon Hotel Central Stags yet to feature.
Bharat Popli is the leading runscorer in the Plunket Shield this season
That includes Bharat Popli, who is the top runscorer in this season’s Plunket Shield, brought to you by Budget Rental, and who has yet to be dismissed for fewer than 30.
Play on day two of the free entry four-day match gets underway Sunday at 10.30am.
