2022/23
ROUND SIX
OTAGO VOLTS drew with CANTERBURY
University of Otago Oval, Dunedin
6-9 March, 2023
Total points this round: Otago Volts 6, Canterbury 8
Milestones
Chad Bowes: century before lunch, 8th first-class century (7th for Canterbury)
Matt Hay: career best score (98)
Glenn Phillips: 8th first-class century (1st for Otago Volts) and career best first-class score (147)
All images: PHOTOSPORT
DAY FOUR
Thanks to a career-best big first-class century in his first summer with the Otago Volts, Glenn Phillips played a significant hand in saving the Volts' sixth-round Plunket Shield clash with ultimately frustrated championship leader Canterbury in Dunedin.
With the maximum haul of 20 points in total at stake, Canterbury already had eight of them from the first innings, and this match and position was a good opportunity for Canterbury to pull away at the top of the ladder.
A win would have meant their lead would be a substantial 32 points, ahead of next week's pivotal rematch with the Central Stags (who have a match in hand).
However, the Volts' late order had other ideas, and held the fort in the last innings to see out the fourth and final innings at 308/8 for an impressive draw.
Canterbury had to settle for their eight first-innings bonus points, Phillips having thwarted their plans with his eighth first-class century - and first for the Otago Volts in the ex-Aucklander's first season down south with his brother.
His 147 spanned almost six hours in a late-summer round that had seen batsmen profit in all three matches.
Allrounder Henry Shipley led the fightback with the ball for Canterbury, finishing with 3/51, while legspinner Ish Sodhi (3/87) finally removed obstinate Max Chu at 299/8 for some consolation - but only after the gritty Chu had contributed a crucial 45, late in the piece, towards saving the Volts from defeat.
That was the last celebration for the visitors who now head to Rangiora for their penultimate round of the eight-round first-class championship holding a 20-point lead over Northern Districts on the table.
The seventh round beginning on Monday, 13 March will also see Northern Districts hosting the Firebirds at Seddon Park and the Auckland Aces away to the Otago Volts at Alexandra's Molyneux Park, from 10.30am with livescores and livestreams at www.nzc.nz
DAY THREE
A stunning catch by Glenn Phillips yet again denied Canterbury's Mitch Hay (98) a maiden first-class century.
Impressive Hay will be wondering just what he has to do to get that elusive ton, but it provided a home highlight for the Otago Volts who were left requiring 326 runs by the end of the day, if they were to beat current Plunket Shield leader Canterbury.
The Volts had made a good start to their fourth innings assignment, set to resume at 145/2.
Youngster Thorn Parkes was unbeaten on 53* and Glenn Phillips 66 not out overnight.
DAY TWO
Resuming their first innings at 387/7, Canterbury went on to post 449 before Cole McConchie declared nine down in the 108th over.
Both sides had picked up four points from the innings and the Volts now needed to fight fire with fire in the batting department. But none of the home batsmen were able to make quite the impact, nor as quickly, as Canterbury had done a day earlier.
Captain Hamish Rutherford got a good start with 41 at a good clip, but was a big wicket for his opposite number McConchie at 79/2, right on the bell of lunchtime.
Glenn Phillips joined Foxcroft on 23*, and the pair set about rebuilding in the middle session, but the partnership was nipped off at 112/3 with the loss of Phillips nicking one to the slips off Ed Nuttall's pace.
Foxcroft soldiered on for 68 but was also lost before tea, with the Volts 216/6 and still trailing by a chunk. Ish Sodhi and Will O'Rourke were among the wickets, and would finish with 3/65 and 3/54 respectively, Gus McKenzie also picking up a tidy brace.
With Chad Bowes unfortunately concussed out of the game, bowler Fraser Sheat had come in as a concussion substitute, and the Volts ended the day back in the field with Canterbury 43/1 - Mitch Hay replacing Bowes at the top of the order.
The visitors had taken a 193-run first innings lead, and now led by 236 overall.
DAY ONE
Canterbury captain Cole McConchie won the toss at Uni Oval and opted to bat as the exceptional sunny southern summer continued. He then got to enjoy watching one of his batsmen score a century before lunch.
Chad Bowes's lightning-quick, eighth first-class ton came up in just 69 balls, in 107 minutes with 15 boundaries and two sixes. His first fifty had flown off just 39 balls, before he put the foot down some more to smash his ton amid a fun century stand with McConchie for the second wicket.
Jacob Duffy had struck early to remove fellow opener Rhys Mariu at 19/1, but the rest of the session was a hard watch for the Volts as Canterbury went to lunch at 175/2.
McConchie had fallen to Travis Muller on 81, but the gauntlet had already been thrown.
A further two wickets fell in the middle session as Canterbury looked to make hay, Mitch Hay (above) on 40* at tea - after Bowes had finally gone for 118, caught behind off a relieved Jake Gibson (3/39).
It would be the first of two handy knocks by Hay in the match, the number five going on to reach the second highest score of 89 in the first innings - a chance of a maiden century snuffed out by Jarrod Mckay and the safe hands of Dean Foxcroft who took a stinger of a catch at 368/6 after the new ball.
By stumps, Canterbury was 387/7.
