Otago folded from a decent start to be 195 for seven when poor weather stopped play early in Palmerston North yesterday.
Central Districts got the upper hand in the final session of a rain-interrupted day in their Plunket Shield game.
Ray Toole picked up the prized scalp of Dean Foxcroft for 70 and his departure ushered in a relatively rapid collapse.
The Volts slumped from 131 for two to 186 for seven.
Jake Gibson is undefeated on 22 and Jacob Duffy is at the wicket with him on six.
The first order of business for the Volts today will be to push beyond 200 and perhaps threaten 250.
Toole has three for 53 and Ajaz Patel has two for 31.
The morning session was lost to poor weather.
Play eventually got under way at 1.30pm and Volts captain Hamish Rutherford added another single-figure score to his lean run in first-class cricket this season.
He was bowled for four, trying drive Brett Randell through the onside.
Rutherford had scored 169 runs at an average of 14.08 leading into the game.
Fellow opener Jacob Cumming helped steady the innings and teamed up with Foxcroft to add 81 for the second wicket.
Cumming dispatched a series of pleasant drives and flicked a delivery from Toole off his pads for six on his way to a career-high 43.
The left-hander looked poised to register his maiden first-class half century, but Toole got his revenge when he found the edge of his bat.
Foxcroft, who has been promoted to the New Zealand A side for the series against Australia A next month, got an inside edge back on to the stumps.
That wicket proved to be a trigger. Dale Phillips (4), Thorn Parkes (15) and Max Chu (16) all departed cheaply.
Ben Lockrose (6) hung around for 30 balls before he was stumped.
- In Auckland, Northern Districts has reduced the home team to 93 for four on a damp day at Eden Park Outer Oval, while Canterbury is 175 for three against Wellington in Rangiora. Opener Rhys Mariu is undefeated on 91.
OTAGO
H Rutherford b Randell 4
J Cumming c Bruce b Toole 43
D Foxcroft b Toole 70
T Parkes c Heaphy b Patel 15
D Phillips c Bruce b Toole 4
J Gibson not out 22
M Chu lbw b Small 16
B Lockrose st Cleaver b Patel 6
J Duffy not out 6
Extras (4b, 1lb, 2w, 2nb) 9
Total (7 wkts, 62.2 overs) 195
Fall: 1-10, 2-91, 3-131, 4-139, 5-143, 6-168, 7-186.
Bowling: B Randell 13.2-5-31-1, R Toole 15-2-53-3 (1w), J Clarkson 5-0-32-0 (2nb), B Small 13-1-43-1 (1w), A Patel 16-6-31-2.
