Otago was denied by a lousy two runs last week but was not to be denied in Napier yesterday.
In a dramatic finish to the Plunket Shield match against Central Districts, Neil Wagner and debutant Mark Craig combined to take seven wickets and propel the visitor to a unlikely 116-run win.
A result appeared a distant possibility when the opening day was lost to poor weather.
But Otago posted an imposing 475 for seven declared and Central Districts kept the door open for a result when it declared its second innings closed at 156 for five yesterday morning.
Otago added 71 in nine overs and set the home side a target of 391 runs from 96 overs.
Central appeared on track for a draw at least, with George Worker (98) and Mathew Sinclair (59) offering stiff resistance.
But in an impressive spell, offspinner Craig went to work, dismantling Central's innings with three for 87 from 27 overs, and Wagner, who has been in the best form of his career, struck from the other end, taking four for 92 from 24 overs and advancing his season tally to 34 wickets.
The key breakthrough, though, was the dismissal of experienced former international Mathew Sinclair.
Sinclair tried to cut a delivery from Craig and got a faint edge through to the wicketkeeper Derek de Boorder.
"At tea they were still ahead in the game and probably favourites," Otago coach Mike Hesson said.
"But to pick up the wickets of [Tim] Weston and [Kieran] Noema-Barnett put a lot of pressure on Skippy [Sinclair]. So for Mark to get his wicket at that time was critical."
Otago lost fast bowler James McMillan in the first session when he tweaked his hamstring while fielding, and de Boorder had to take over the captaincy, as Craig Cumming remained at the motel with a bad cold.
"Mark played superbly ... but I think de Boorder deserves a lot of credit for the way he marshalled the bowlers. I thought he did an excellent job in his first time in charge of Otago," Hesson said.
There were plenty of candidates for the man of the match.
Neil Broom (124) scored his ninth century for the province, and Shaun Haig also scored 124, his fourth century for Otago.
The pair shared in 151-run stand for the third wicket which helped set up the win.
Cumming was stopped seven runs short of a third consecutive century and de Boorder chipped in with an undefeated half-century.
Twenty-year-old opening batsman Michael Bracewell had a decent debut with 45 and a quick-fire undefeated 34 in the second innings.
But to be a bowler down and still manage to take 10 wickets on the last day was a special effort, Hesson said.
"I thought Shaun Haig's innings was fantastic. It is the best I've seen him play in a number of years and he was very good. But on a surface that offers as little as this, I thought the bowlers did particularly well.
"It was a pitch which was very flat but had good pace and bounce in it. Wagner kept running in and banging it in and he got the returns. He was superb. Hesson was not surprised when Central declared 319 runs in deficit.
"They were out of the game. So I guess to try and make a game of it they had to do something. By declaring, it gave them a chance and they were right in the game at tea time."
Otago will host Auckland at the University Oval next week.
