A heavy shower forced the players from the field with Otago 181 for five and trailing Northern Districts on the Duckworth-Lewis system by just five runs and with the batting power play still in hand.
It was nervous 20-minute wait looking skyward desperately for some blue sky.
Thankfully, for the home side, the weather gods were kind and Derek de Boorder (74 not out) and Darren Broom (83 not out) were able to get back in the middle and get their side back in front before rain once again brought the minor semifinal to a halt, this time permanently.
Otago had reached 245 for five and won by nine runs thanks to the Duckworth-Lewis system.
It is a great system when you come out on top but it looked dicey for a while.
Otago waited until the 42nd over to use the power play and it was a tactic which ultimately proved successful.
Broom and de Boorder were able to get boundaries away with the field up.
The pair, who came together with Otago labouring at 80 for five, combined in a record stand of 165 for the sixth-wicket, passing the old mark of 129 set by Jonathan Trott and Nathan McCullum against Auckland in Alexandra in 2005-06.
"You don't get a tougher situation than that to come in and bat through with rain and the Duckworth-Lewis always in the back of your mind," Otago coach Mike Hesson explained.
"The way they went about things was outstanding. I can't really say any more than that."
Hesson said it was tempting to take the power play earlier, but because the Volts had lost early wickets they were too far behind and felt it was better to inch closer before calling the power play.
"In the end it worked for us," Hesson said.
Canterbuy beat Auckland by 41-runs in the preliminary final, so Otago will travel to Auckland to play the Aces in the major semifinal on Wednesday.
Northern Districts has been eliminated and might well be wondering what could have happened if it had just started the assault a few overs earlier.
For most of the match, Northern threatened to drift through its innings with the cruise control button set to "do not disturb".
BJ Watling looked in good touch, continuing on from an undefeated century in the previous match.
But as the pitch slowed, so did the scoring rate.
The diminutive opener got himself set but kept losing batting partners - two in one over when unlikely bowling hero Craig Cumming collected James Marshall's leg stump and then trapped Brad Wilson lbw two deliveries later.
The double blow set the tone for the next 16 overs, with Cumming and Darren Stevens able to dictate terms with their slow medium-pacers.
When Stevens trapped Watling in front on 55, Northern retreated further into its shell.
But some fearless batting from Peter McGlashan (39 off 43) and wonderful placement by Anton Devcich (42 off 21) saw Northern pile on a heap of late runs - 66 in the last five overs - to reach 271 for eight.
Devcich had been shadow batting on the sidelines like a boxer waiting to get in the ring and strolled out a man with a purpose.
The left-hander exploited the fielding restrictions, guiding shots into the gaps and working angles to find the boundary rather than muscling deliveries.
It was remarkably effective and his tally and the team's mounted quickly.
Too little too late, though.
