Adrian Seconi

Four years ago, Ian Butler's cricket career was in tatters, but the Otago all-rounder has battled back from a serious injury to earn an international recall.

Aaron Redmond continued his impressive twenty/20 form with a classy innings of 80 to help Otago beat Northern Districts by 21 runs.

Brittany Whelan's show jumping career is really starting to take off.

Auckland pulled off one of the great escapes as it narrowly avoided defeat to Otago in a tense twenty/20 match at the University Oval last night.

First the national selectors whisked Craig Cumming away before the one-day final, now they have called up Otago stand-in skipper Nathan McCullum.

Netball Otago is in a much stronger financial position than it was this time last year after posting a profit of more than $40,000.

It has been more than 10 years since a Rutherford was smacking the ball to the boundary and helping Otago win matches.

The $850,000 price tag for the new water-based turf at the McMillan Centre is worth every cent, Otago Hockey chief executive Chris Aubin says.

Otago all-rounders Nathan McCullum and Dimitri Mascarenhas redeemed themselves with a stunning unbroken 140-run stand to help their side beat Canterbury by 30 runs in a twenty/20 match in Dunedin yesterday.

Defending champion Gareth Woods, of Dunedin, is expected to be one of the frontrunners when the national slalom windsurfing championships start on Otago Harbour today.

Otago has put the disappointment of handing over the one-day title to Northern Districts behind it and has turned its attention to the razzmatazz of twenty/20.

Disgruntled Otago fans may be wondering if Black Caps and former Northern Districts coach Andy Moles was part of a conspiracy to rob the province of its one-day title.

Otago skipper Craig Cumming would have loved to have played for Otago in the one-day final against Northern Districts in Hamilton on Saturday.

Neil Wagner has been outstanding for Otago all summer and underlined his class with a superb opening spell yesterday

Otago captain Craig Cumming's late call-up for the Black Caps has left a yawning gap in the Volts line-up.

Bradley Scott's heart still lies in Otago but the Northern Districts seamer was more than happy to pick up a trophy with his new team.

Otago coach Mike Hesson refused to blame a ponderous innings from star English import Dimitri Mascarenhas for his side's 49-run loss to Northern Districts in the State Shield final in Hamilton on Saturday.