Cleaver batted for nearly 11 hours during his knock of 151 not out.
He found willing helpers in Jayden Lennox (35), Will Clark (41) and Brett Randell (40). And with their support he dragged the Stags through to 359 for nine declared.
Otago were rolled for 203 on the opening day and were three for two at stumps on day two.
Volts opener Thorn Parkes got a tickle on a delivery heading down leg from Lennox and Cleaver snaffled a sharp catch. And nightwatchman Travis Muller holed out in the deep.
The Volts trail Central by 153 with eight second innings
wickets in hand.
They are in a lot of pain thanks to Dane.
Central had resumed on 63 for four.
Cleaver was unbeaten on five and Lennox was just getting started as well.
The Volts would have been desperate to secure a quick wicket but the pair put on a damaging partnership of 81.
Lennox nudged his way to 35 but holed out just before the lunch break to part-time spinner Dale Phillips.
Clark joined Cleaver at the wicket and the pair continued to frustrate the Volts’ attack to the tune of 90 runs.
Clark employed the reverse sweep against Phillips and swatted several boundaries that way.
But he was powerless to keep a delivery from Muller (three for 52) off his stumps. The seamer nipped one back and watched as it crashed into the top of middle.
The Stags had the lead by then and Cleaver kept adding to it. The wicketkeeper-batter got through to his eighth first-class century in style. He ramped a short delivery from Jarrod McKay down to the third-man boundary to bring up the milestone.
He had both feet off the ground when he made contact.
The Volts, however, had their feet planted in reality.
The first innings deficit was growing steadily and Cleaver found another support partner in Randell.
The No 10 batter scored 40 before he edged a delivery from wrist spinner Zac Cumming.
It was Cumming’s maiden first-class wicket but the occasion demanded only a modest celebration.
The debutant has had a tough match so far. He was out for a four-ball duck and finished with one for 71 from 20 overs.
■Wellington all-rounder Logan van Beek has joined a very exclusive club.
He became just the second player in New Zealand first-class cricket history to score a century and take a five-wicket bag in a match for two different domestic teams.
He took five for 53 to help roll Auckland for 184 in their first innings and then thumped 101.
Van Beek first accomplished the feat for Canterbury.
Jack Crawford achieved the double for Otago in 1915 and for Auckland in 1918.
Wellington established a first-innings lead of 86 runs.
In Christchurch, Northern Districts are 291 for eight in reply to Canterbury’s first innings tally of 361 for nine declared.
OTAGO
First innings 203
CENTRAL DISTRICTS
First innings
J Boyle c Carter b Georgeson 5
C Heaphy c Carter b Muller 4
B Schmulian c Chu b McKay 21
T Bruce c Carter b Gibson 18
D Cleaver not out 151
J Lennox c Georgeson b Phillips 35
W Clark b Muller 41
A Schaw lbw Muller 5
B Tickner run out (Kindley/Chu) 5
B Randell c Carter b Cumming 40
R Toole not out 1
Extras (10b, 11lb, 7w, 5nb) 33
Total (for 9 wkts dec, 120 overs) 359
Fall: 1-8, 2-25, 3-54, 4-56, 5-137, 6-227, 7-244, 8-257, 9-327.
Bowling: L Georgeson 19-7-38-1 (2w, 1nb), T Muller 23-7-52-3, J McKay 25-3-64-1 (4w), J Gibson 25-5-74-1 (1w, 4nb), Z Cumming 20-0-71-1, D Phillips 7-1-39-1, H Kindley 1-1-0-0.
OTAGO
Second innings
T Parkes c Cleaver b Lennox 0
H Kindley not out 3
T Muller c Toole b Schmulian 0
J McKay not out 0
Extras 0
Total (for 2 wkts, 5 overs) 3
Fall: 1-0, 2-1.
Bowling: J Lennox 3-2-2-1, A Schaw 1-0-1-0, B Schmulian 1-1-0-1.
