From the moment Jacob Duffy was first sighted in Otago colours, there seemed to be something a bit special about the kid.
He made his debut for the province as a 17-year-old last season and picked up three wickets with a stunning twenty/20 spell.
Now a year older, the strapping strike bowler has added a yard of pace, hits challenging lengths and is one of the hardest bowlers to get away at the death. Tomorrow, he will open the bowling in the HRV Cup final against Wellington.
Otago has won its past nine games in a row and Duffy has been a key contributor. He is the joint leading wicket-taker with 13 wickets at an average of 21.53 and economy rate of 7.77. Not bad for a teenager - or even an experienced campaigner.
Bowling at the top during the fielding restrictions, and at the death when the batsmen are meant to be in full flight, has to be the hardest job in the shorter format. That Otago has trusted the role to Duffy says a lot about the youngster's future.
Otago coach Vaughn Johnson had high expectations from Duffy this season and said the young man had delivered on that potential.
''He has been phenomenal, really,'' Johnson said.
''When the season started, I thought we were a little bit light in the bowling stocks and thought we would have to look after him. That meant not playing him in every game and to make sure that when he did play, he was fresh.
''But we have not been able to leave him out because he has done that well. As long as he keeps putting the results on the board, he has a big future.''
For Duffy, the rise from promising schoolboy to professional has been a whirlwind. Last summer, the HRV Cup was something he watched on television. His opportunity did not come until the last game of the season and, despite his fine debut, he could not have predicted how well things would go this season.
''It has been awesome. I have not lost too many games as a Volt,'' Duffy said.
''Nine wins in a row is just incredible but if we don't win the 10th one, then it does not mean a lot.''
Perhaps what gives Duffy his edge is his ability to hit ''the hole'' when needed. He demonstrated his accuracy earlier in the competition when he held Canterbury to five runs in the last over to help seal a tense one-run win in Timaru.
He made it nearly impossible for the batsmen to get under the ball and dispatch a boundary.
''I love the pressure because I think I thrive under it,'' Duffy said.
''Death bowling is my favourite. You know what they are trying to do and I'm trying to stop them from doing it. It is just a great challenge, and if I get my job right, they can't do theirs.''
Duffy nodded in disbelief when discussing opening the bowling alongside former Australian fast bowler Brett Lee during Otago's dramatic three-wicket win against Canterbury earlier this week.
''That was awesome. That is the kind of guy I've been watching on TV for the last 10 years and then you get to play with him. That was incredible.''
Duffy has been part of a trio of Otago bowlers who have all excelled during the campaign. Left-arm spinner Nick Beard has also taken 13 wickets and has been the most frugal of the Otago bowlers. Ian Butler has had the knack of finding wickets, or even scoring runs for that matter, when the team has needed it the most.
Dutch international Ryan ten Doeschate has been outstanding in the middle of the order. He has scored four half-centuries in nine innings and a total of 380 runs at 54.28.
Opener Hamish Rutherford has combined with Neil Broom to give Otago some good starts but the key to the team's success has been its ability for everybody to find a way to contribute.
Aaron Redmond smashed a breezy 21-ball half-century in the win against Canterbury this week and Michael Bracewell also played a telling knock in an earlier win against Canterbury.
Others, such as Jimmy Neesham and Nathan McCullum, have made valuable contributions but are in South Africa with the national team, and the captain, Derek de Boorder, has floated in the order and also produced runs when required.
