Otago’s top order was skittled by some short-pitched Canterbury bowling at the University of Otago Oval yesterday.
The middle order tended to throw their wickets away. And experienced all-rounder Anaru Kitchen was left batting with the tail.
It all added up to another miserable first innings total for Otago this season.
Two hundred and six will not win you many games of first-class cricket but it might help win this one.
Canterbury had its own issues. The visitors were 98 for four at stumps on day one.Christi Viljoen led the fightback with two for 18. But the day belonged to Canterbury left-armer Andrew Hazeldine.
The 24-year-old picked up his maiden first-class five-wicket bag with a Neil Wagner-like effort.
He ran in hard and bowled plenty of bumpers for his five for 33. Most of them were well-directed but one or two of the batsmen ought to have done much better.
Hamish Rutherford can count himself among the latter. The left-hander looked in imperious form and got his side through to 105 for two at lunch.
But he fell into the trap second ball after the break for 45. Hazeldine came around the wicket and speared one towards his ribs. Rutherford flicked it straight to the fielder under the helmet at short leg.
That plan worked perfectly and the next scheme did too. Shawn Hicks was never going to get anything in his own half, given his compulsion to pull and hook.
But he got a terrific bouncer which he had to play and got a faint edge through to the keeper.He completed the set for Canterbury. All four Otago top order batsmen perished to bouncers.Canterbury strike bowler Kyle Jamieson (four for 39) employed the short ball to secure two of his four victims as well. He ripped through the middle order but had help from some loose shots.
Nathan Smith (5) scooped a drive to a fielder and Mitch Renwick waved his bat at a wide half-tracker and was undone on 31.
Kitchen came in at No 8 with his side in rapid decline at 147 for seven. He swatted a couple of sixes and a four before holing out on 38.His dismissal was a product of trying to rattle on runs before he ran out of partners at the other end.
Sadly, 206 is actually Otago’s highest first innings score this season.
At Eden Park Outer Oval, Auckland is 142 for three in reply to Northern Districts’ paltry first innings tally of 134.
Wellington is in a power position in Nelson. Hamish Bennett took five for 39 to help dismiss Central Districts for 158. At stumps, the visitors were 54 without loss.In the national under-19 tournament in Lincoln, Otago beat Canterbury by two wickets. It restricted the home team to 219 for eight. Hunter Kindley led the chase with 69.
