Smashing a big century against your former side, though? That must be described as out-staying your welcome.
Nick Kelly did not play alongside everyone in a relatively fresh-looking Otago Volts team but he sure seemed to know what to expect of the bowlers, at least, on the first day of the Plunket Shield clash yesterday.
Kelly grafted, crafted and blasted his way to his sixth first-class century.
The left-hander was unbeaten on 154, having faced 213 balls and smacked 21 boundaries, when play was stopped marginally ahead of schedule due to bad light.
Wellington were handily placed at 339 for six, meaning there is plenty of work for Otago to do today.
Kelly, who scored four centuries in three seasons with Otago, made a patient start before looking to put the bad balls away.
The Wellington captain was particularly strong on anything short, and played a couple of brutal pull shots.
He received handy support from the middle order as he added 80 for the fifth wicket with wicketkeeper Callum McLachlan (38) and 135 for the sixth with the in-form Logan van Beek (68 off 82 balls).
Wellington had started at a snail’s pace after being asked to bat, and had a single run on the board after five overs.
Opener Peter Younghusband faced 21 balls without scoring when he squirted a ball from Luke Georgeson to Llew Johnson at gully, and Gareth Severin made eight when he got a steepler from Jake Gibson and prodded it to Dale Phillips at third slip.
When debutant Sam Mycock mistimed a hook off Georgeson on 32, and the dangerous Muhammad Abbas was bowled through the gate by Travis Muller for 12, Wellington were 84 for four and just teetering a little.
Kelly and his crew had other ideas.
He belted three consecutive fours off Cumming the elder, and followed up with an over facing Zac that featured two fours and a towering straight six.
Georgeson was the pick of the Otago bowlers with two for 47 off 21 overs.
In Hamilton, Black Caps great Kane Williamson scored 60 in a rare appearance for Northern Districts as the home side were dismissed for 268 against Auckland.
Jordan Sussex and Danru Ferns each took three wickets for the Aces, who were 24 without loss at stumps.
There was a special moment in Nelson when 19-year-old Canterbury seamer Cam Paul grabbed a five-wicket bag on debut.
Paul took five for 34 as the Central Stags were rolled for 202. Canterbury were 17 without loss in reply.
WELLINGTON
S Mycock c Gibson b Georgeson 32
P Younghusband c Johnson b Georgeson 0
G Severin c Phillips b Gibson 8
N Kelly not out 154
M Abbas b Muller 12
C McLachlan c Johnson b J Cumming 38
L van Beek b McKay 68
N Greenwood not out 16
Extras (4b, 5lb, 2nb) 11
Total (for 6wkts, 90 overs) 339
Fall: 1-9, 2-31, 3-59, 4-84, 5-164, 6-299.
Bowling: L Georgeson 21-7-47-2, T Muller 19-3-69-1, J Gibson 19-2-82-1 (2nb), J McKay 18-0-79-1, J Cumming 7-2-23-1, Z Cumming 6-0-30-0.
