Ryan Duffy and Kaikorai proved a salient point in the 42-run win against Albion at Brooklands Park - it is not how long you bat for but how many runs you get.
Kaikorai 233 beat Albion 191 by 42 runs
Duffy faced just 59 balls during his stay at the crease but scored a century.
He plundered nine boundaries and hit five sixes in an impressive display of aggressive but controlled batting. Many of his so-called big shots were just cracking cricket shots.
His innings was perhaps audacious considering his side was five for two when he went out to bat. Wickets kept tumbling at the other end until former Otago batsman Iain Robertson joined him in the middle.
The pair put on 69 in rapid fashion. Robertson has never been a player to pull out the block shot too often and his 49 off 26 balls was rather typical of how he has been playing his cricket this summer.
Hamish Robertson picked up the slack when Iain finally holed out. His 28 was helpful.
Ideally, though, Kaikorai would have batted longer than the 33.1 overs the team managed.
Albion's Dexter Marsh took five wickets but was expensive. He conceded 54 runs from his 7.1 overs. And Josh Cuttance was not treated with much respect, either. He took one for 70 from seven overs.
Only Nick Beard and Roald Badenhorst were able to keep their economy rates below five.
Michael Fraser secured a double breakthrough for Kaikorai, removing the dual threats of Badenhorst and Taylor Cumberland at the top.
He finished with three for 31 but arguably, Dan Hamilton was the pick of the Kaikorai bowlers, with three for 26 from 10 overs.
Dan Duke whacked 30 from 15 balls in a whirlwind cameo but Beard (66) and Michael Snedden (38) combined in 74-run stand for the eighth wicket which threatened to take the game away from Kaikorai.
Carisbrook-Dunedin 214 beat North East Valley 78 by 136 runs
What happened? Chris Ware happened.
The Carisbrook-Dunedin left-armer combined with Callum Stuart at the top of the innings to make mincemeat of North East Valley's chase.
Ware is perhaps one of the sharpest club bowlers around and underscored that reputation with five for 32 at Tonga Park.
While Stuart claimed the key wickets of Tom Griffin (13) and Adam Miles (2), Ware was deadly once he switched ends and tore through the middle order.
Fred Humphries top-scored for North East Valley with 17 and extras was next on the list, contributing 16 runs.
Earlier, North East Valley made a good start with the ball. The experienced Jamie Murley was a handful and his four for 20 was yet another fine performance from the veteran.
It might have been good enough had Brad Rodden not plugged up an end with 52. Max Chu was also impressive. His undefeated innings of 61 was instrumental in Carisbrook-Dunedin getting through to 214.
He rotated the strike wonderfully for Ware to blast 40 runs.
Green Island 214 for nine beat Taieri 205 by nine runs
Green Island all-rounder Christi Viljoen came through in the clutch, picking up two late wickets to help seal a tense nine-run win against Taieri at Sunnyvale.
But it was a brilliant run out from Joel Meade which turned the match Green Island's way.
He hit the stumps from the midwicket boundary to run out the dangerous Andrew Grubb with Taieri needing just 12 runs from three overs to win the game.
Earlier, Ben Hitchcock also came to the rescue for the Swamp Rats.
With his side teetering at 50 for four, he came in and played a gem of an innings, scoring an undefeated 82.
He faced plenty of dot balls while getting set and then picked up the pace to help Green Island through to 214 for nine.
Meade made a solid contribution with 30 and Dion Lobb chipped in with a valuable 27 from 21.
Will Hunter was the pick of the Taieri bowlers. He bowled unchanged at the top and took four for 22.
Taieri lost an early wicket in its chase but a 90-run stand by Simon Cromarty (43) and Toby Batchelor (57) for the second wicket had the visiting side very well placed.
Cromarty was run out and Lobb bowled Batchelor and then Josh Tasman-Jones to get his side back into the contest.
Before Grubb was crucially run out, he had just hit a six and a four. His departure left the tail exposed and Viljoen provided the coup de grace, blowing 10 and jack to seal a dramatic nine-run win.
