Otago achieved a rare feat yesterday.
Three of its batters scored a century in the same innings for just the fourth time in its history.
Nick Kelly joined Mitchell Renwick (107) and Hamish Rutherford (144) to reach triple figures and then put his foot down and thumped a series of boundaries on his way to 169 not out from 212 balls.
Max Chu is at the wicket with him on 73.
Should Otago choose to bat on this morning against Central Districts at the University Oval, the 21-year-old left-hander will have an opportunity to post his maiden first-class hundred.
He has already gone past his previous best of 53.
And Kelly would get a chance to score a double ton.
Otago has piled on 542 for five and leads Central Districts by 148 runs with a day to play in the Plunket Shield fixture.
Those potential personal milestones will have to be weighed up against the team goal of posting a win.
The pitch has proved batter-friendly during the first three days, so prying out 10 wickets will be an enormous challenge and will take time.
It is a dilemma Volts coach Dion Ebrahim will have to consider carefully.
‘‘First and foremost, it is about ensuring it's the team first mantra,'' Ebrahim said.
‘‘While personal milestones are very attractive, we've got to keep at the forefront of our thinking how we are going to win this game of cricket.
‘‘The players all understand and appreciate that. If that means sacrificing personal milestones, then I'm sure everyone will be on board.''
The Volts resumed on 223 for none, with Rutherford on 118 and Renwick on 100.
Renwick could not get re-established at the crease and Rutherford inexplicably missed a straight delivery and was bowled.
It was pretty much a flawless stint at the crease otherwise.
Central Districts took three for 75 in the morning session but Kelly and Chu have put on an unbroken stand of 205 from 269 balls.
It is an Otago sixth-wicket record against Central Districts and it is closing in on the all time Otago sixth-wicket stand of 216 scored by Rutherford and Derek de Boorder against Wellington at the University Oval in 2011-12.
Kelly has whacked 20 fours and four sixes so far — that's 104 runs in boundaries. He went into one-day mode after reaching his second first-class hundred.
It was a tough day for bowlers, but left-armer Ben Wheeler bowled tightly and snaffled the wickets of Rutherford and Michael Rippon.
Rippon shapes as a key figure today. The left arm wrist spinner took six for 66 in the fourth innings against the Stags at the University Oval last season.
‘‘He has had success against them before, so that will be playing on their minds as well.''
At the Basin Reserve, Wellington slumped to 30 for four in its second innings against Canterbury and needs a further 419 runs to win.
Henry Shipley has taken three for four from 5.5 overs, while Tom Latham fashioned an unbeaten 127.
