Charged-up Volts start season with outright win

Travis Muller and his Volts team-mates celebrate the wicket of William O' Donnell at Kennards Hire Community Oval in Auckland yesterday. PHOTO: ANDREW CORNAGA / WWW.PHOTOSPORT.NZ

So, so good.

Otago has dispatched Auckland in its opening Plunket Shield match this season by 168 runs.

The Volts have gone straight to the top of the competition standings, and long may that last.

Turns out their "so-so" first innings total of 261 — as described in the Otago Daily Times — was actually so, so good.

By clawing their way to what seemed like a middling total on day one at Eden Park Outer Oval, they were actually posting a match-winning score.

The bowlers should take a large slice of the credit as well.

Jacob Duffy finished with eight wickets in the match and Travis Muller was not far behind with a seven-wicket haul.

The Otago attack perhaps showed the benefit of having trained on grass in the new winter marquee. The Volts have not had that luxury in the past, and they looked sharp.

Auckland was set a demanding victory target of 342 and that proved way too many.

The Aces slumped to 173 all out. Game over in three days.

Otago resumed on 91 for three with a healthy lead of 213. The plan to build on it hit a few early road bumps.

Dean Foxcroft was snaffled in an excellent catch by Ryan Harrison. Sean Solia got the breakthrough.

The all-rounder was opening both the bowling and the batting for the Aces, so he had a heavy workload.

He had accounted for both Hamish Rutherford and Dale Phillips the previous day and finished with four for 45.

Neither Max Chu or Michael Rippon were able to make significant contributions, but Thorn Parkes pushed on to make 58. He registered his maiden half century in the first innings, so it was a nice double for the young left-hander playing in his second game.

Jacob Duffy pulled out the Lumsden Loft, clouting Will Somerville for three sixes and a four in one over.

The big Southlander’s knock of 34 not out helped Otago push the lead towards 350.

The Volts’ tally of 219 all out in their second dig was plenty in the end.

Solia claimed most of the wickets for the Aces, but Danru Ferns was very tidy without enjoying a lot of success.

The Aces made a terrible start to the chase. The overworked Solia sliced a drive to Rippon and Duffy bowled Cole Briggs for a two-ball duck.

Muller drew an edge from Will O’Donnell (7) and brother Robbie O’Donnell (20) went in very similar fashion.

Both got out to a bowler operating at the top of his game. Muller’s first spell of six overs netted two for seven and included four maidens.

Auckland had slumped to 39 for four. There was just a narrow slither of light shining through the curtains. A couple more tugs on the drawcord and complete darkness engulfed the home team.

George Worker top-scored with 40 and the last pair of Simon Keene (32) and Ferns (27 not out) thumped a few forlorn boundaries.

At Saxton Oval Canterbury put on 416 for nine in reply to Central Districts’ total of 302. Black Caps test opener Tom Latham (167) notched his 24th first-class century.

Northern Districts wriggled out of trouble against Wellington, who enjoyed a first innings lead of 145 at the Basin Reserve. The visitors had reached 370 for four in their second innings.

PLUNKET SHIELD

OTAGO V AUCKLAND

Otago 261

Auckland 139

OTAGO

H Rutherford c RR O'Donnell b Solia 2

J Cumming c Horne b Keene 17

D Phillips lbw b Solia 8

D Foxcroft c Harrison b Solia 31

T Parkes lbw b ter Braak 58

M Chu c & b Ferns 7

M Rippon c & b Somerville 15

T Muller c Solia b Somerville 5

J Gibson c Horne b ter Braak 4

J Duffy not out 34

M Rae c W O'Donnell b Solia 17

Extras (5b, 12lb, 2w, 2nb) 21

Total (72.4 overs) 219

Fall: 1-2, 2-16, 3-47, 4-95, 5-116, 6-150, 7-158, 8-166, 9-166.

Bowling: S Solia 16.4-2-45-4 (1w, 1nb); R ter Braak 11-3-36-2; D Ferns 14-5-25-1 (1w, 1nb); S Keene 16-3-48-1; R Harrison 3-0-8-0; W Somerville 12-4-40-2.