ROUND FOUR OF EIGHT
OTAGO VOLTS lost to NORTHERN DISTRICTS by 5 wickets
University of Otago Oval, Dunedin
14-17 November, 2022
Toss: Volts who batted
First innings bonus points:
Otago Volts 0 batting, 4 bowling
Northern Districts 4 bowling, 2 batting
Total points this round: Volts 4, ND 18
Selected Milestones
Kannan Jagannathan: first-class umpiring debut
Tim Pringle: first-class debut, maiden wicket (ND)
Jake Gibson: career best score (Volts)
Freddy Walker: maiden half century, career best score (ND)
DAY FOUR
Northern Districts was tasked with a lively chase of exactly 250 in just under two sessions if they were to take the honours on the last day of red-ball in 2022.
It was another weather-affected day in Dunedin - a delay of an hour and quarter stalling the morning session, but the Volts eventually got back on, and declared their second innings at 345/9 shortly after lunch.
Michael Rippon (above, all images: PHOTOSPORT) had carried on the good work of his teammates from the previous day with a knock of 75, and Jake Gibson (below), against his former side, again showed his all-round worth in the tail with an unbeaten 53* to go with his career-best first innings 60* down the order at nine.
Neil Wagner meanwhile enjoyed himself on the familiar turf of Uni Oval with a haul of 4-69 for ND, and tall young spinner Tim Pringle continued to enjoy his first-class debut with his best figures in the second innings, taking 3-96 to finish with four in his first game in whites.
Northern Districts needed to score briskly and they judged it to perfection, chasing down their target of 250 with just 10 overs left in the day.
Tim Seifert had made sure of the success with an unbeaten 73*, building on the platform set down by Jeet Raval (49 off 55) and Bharat Popli (78 off 97).
Popli and Seifert shared a 120-run stand for the third wicket with Wagner providing support at the end for Northern Districts' first win of the season, on the last afternoon of red-ball Plunket Shield cricket for the 2022 calendar year.
The competition resumes in late February with the last four of the eight rounds, in the meantime the Volts will remain at Uni Oval for next week's round one Ford Trophy match with the Stags in Dunedin.
DAY THREE
Heading into the last day in Dunedin, hosts the Otago Volts lead by 134 with four second innings wickets remaining, after a rain-affected 'moving day' against Northern Districts.
The weather was a frustration for both sides in the fast-moving match, but the upside is plenty of intrigue remains with a result on the cards - weather and declarations permitting.
It rained on and off across the day with just over 28 overs possible, barely enough time for the Volts to go from 156 for four to 230 for six, losing set overnight batsmen Dean Foxcroft (53) and Max Chu (78) in the process.
DAY TWO
The Otago Volts are underway in their second innings, looking to grow a tentative, 60-run second-innings lead over Northern Districts with six wickets still in hand on the third morning after a see-sawing second day.
The Volts dismissed ND for 277, but it was a day embedded with frustration for the hosts as they conceded a 96 run-deficit on the first innings thanks to a strongly wagging ND tail.
Jacob Duffy (4-71) missed out on what would have been his third bag of the season as number 10 Freddy Walker galloped to a career-best unbeaten 79* off just 63 balls.
Going from strength to strength this season, it was Walker's maiden half century, and followed a knock of 91 from Scott Kuggeleijn, the pair sharing a 79-run stand for the ninth wicket.
The Volts will resume at 146/4 with Dean Foxcroft 44 not out and Max Chu 51 not out; play begins at all venues at 10.30am.
DAY ONE
The first day of action in Dunedin this season was a fast-moving day on a seaming wicket, the Otago Volts all out for 181 after electing to bat.
The wickets were shared around the Northern Districts attack with young Netherlands international, and son of former BLACKCAP Chris Pringle, spinner Tim Pringle taking his maiden wicket on debut.
By stumps, ND was 84/5 in reply, 15 wickets having fallen on the opening day and captain Joe Carter unbeaten on 35*, trailing by 97 runs. The match is Kannan Jagannathan's first-class debut as an umpire.
