The Otago Volts are looking down the barrel of an innings defeat.
The side finished a rain interrupted third day of its Plunket Shield match against Canterbury well behind and needing some real show of grit on the final day to at least salvage a draw.
Table topping Canterbury put up some quick runs yesterday after all of the first session was lost to wet weather at Molyneux Park in Alexandra.
Canterbury resumed at 424 for four in reply to Otago’s rather paltry 168 and pushed through to 499 for seven wickets before declaring.
That left Otago behind by 331 runs and with it all to do in the second innings.
Otago made an encouraging start in the second innings and Cam Hawkins and Anaru Kitchen made it through to 76 without loss before Hawkins went. Dale Phillips quickly followed and by stumps Otago was 157 for four wickets.
Captain Hamish Rutherford is unbeaten on 26, with Nathan Smith on 21. Daryl Mitchell has picked up two wickets with his medium pace.
The Volts will need to bat out for the day — not as easy task against a quality Canterbury attack. No rain is forecast for Alexandra today.
In the other games, Northern lead Central Districts by 224 runs with six second innings wickets in hand in Hamilton.
In Wellington, Auckland is 109 for two in its second innings and trails Wellington by 58 runs.
