The Volts were rolled for 157 at the University Oval yesterday and Central Districts cruised to a nine-wicket win with more than half the overs to spare.
Stags opener Dane Cleaver will be going back over his innings and figuring out where he could have scored one more run.
He flashed an edge down to the third man boundary to win the game and finished up on 99 not out — just shy of what would have been his third list A century.
The other disappointment was the small crowd did not get to see Ross Taylor bat.
The Black Caps great was listed to come in at No4, but he was not required. It might have been the last chance to see him bat in Dunedin.
Volts coach Dion Ebrahim said he was "hugely disappointed by the result".
"We just failed to fire any shots," he said.
Max Chu and Josh Finnie provided a minor highlight. Chu posted his highest list A score with 45, and Finnie showed some nice touches in his knock of 37. It was his first innings for the Volts in almost a year. He missed most of last summer with concussion symptoms.
"We were one or two partnerships away from getting that innings going.
"But credit to that CD attack — they have a vastly experienced bowling unit and there was pressure from both ends right throughout our innings," Ebrahim said.
That pressure started immediately.
Llew Johnson had a lucky escape first ball. Hamish Rutherford clipped a straight drive back at the bowler Seth Rance, who got a hand to it and deflected it on to the stumps at the non-striker’s end.
Johnson was out of his ground but the umpire had taken evasive action and was not in a position to give him out.
It did not have a big impact on the innings, though. Johnson was soon out.
He got a ripper from Rance that jagged back and skittled his off stump.
The ball was swinging and seaming and the home side lost two more quick wickets.
Dale Phillips got an inside edge on to his stumps for a 15-ball duck, and Dean Foxcroft (5) got out in similar fashion except it was his leg stump sent cartwheeling.
Otago had slumped to 21 for three.
Rutherford (28) and Finnie (37) staged a mini revival. The pair put on 39 and Chu and Michael Rippon (28) provided a little more resistance.
But Blair Tickner (three for 49) and Ajaz Patel (two for 33) teamed up to take care of the middle order.
Brett Randell wrapped up the innings with the last two wickets to finish with three for 33 on one-day debut for Central Districts, and Rance bowled well at the top for his two for 23.
It was a bad toss to lose for Otago, but the home side squandered opportunities to post a larger total.
The performance in the field matched the batting. Jacob Duffy is in a nice rhythm, but Matt Bacon offered up some very hitable deliveries.
Will Young got a couple of gentle half volleys to start his innings.
Cleaver did not need a loose delivery to find the boundary. He got a couple a quality deliveries away square and came down to the wicket and clouted Duffy for a straight six.
The media centre took the impact of that blow.
Rippon’s introduction to the bowling crease did not go as planned for Otago, either. He offered up a full toss which was clobbered for six.
Pace bowler Michael Rae dished up too much width.
For class players like Cleaver and Young, it was all too easy.
Cleaver was spared on 45. He got an inside edge, which Chu put down.
He bought up his 50 shortly after with a spanking square drive.
Cleaver celebrated by smashing Rippon for a couple of sixes and a four in the next over.
That over cost the Volts 20 runs. The only positive for Otago was the end was nigh.
