Otago squander Duffy’s nine-for

Experienced Otago seamer Jacob Duffy sends down a delivery during day four of the Plunket Shield match against Northern Districts at the University Oval on Saturday. Neil Wagner, who is watching the action, went on to play a key role later in the day. PHOTO: GREGOR RICHARDSON

Jacob Duffy keeps taking wickets for Otago.

The experienced right-armer nabbed nine against Northern Districts in the Plunket Shield match which finished at the University Oval on Saturday, overhauling a long-standing record in the process.

But it was the wickets Black Caps and Northern Districts left-armer Neil Wagner took which proved the most telling.

The Volts had dominated much of the rain-affected match. But Northern Districts clawed its way back into the game, thanks largely to a patient 98 from Joe Carter.

He helped get the visitors through to 336 in their second innings.

That left the Volts chasing a very getable 214, but they crumbled to be all out for 179.

Luke Georgeson did his best to help the Volts’ inexperienced batting lineup run down the target with an undefeated 65.

And it looked like Otago might inch past the target but for, well, Wagner.

The 37-year-old does not appear to have lost any of that fire in his belly despite having clocked more the 200 first-class games in 17 years of elite cricket.

With the game on the line he returned to the bowling crease and ripped out the final three wickets.

Duffy went first. Wagner went wide on the crease and angled the ball back in and rattled Duffy’s off stump.

Matt Bacon nicked a wide delivery from Wagner to the keeper, and Jarrod McKay got a Wagner special.

The veteran seamer speared in the delivery from around the wicket and hit the top of middle.

It was an emphatic way to end the game.

Otago had lost by 35 runs after having established a 123-run first innings lead.

That will take some unpacking.

The Volts’ batting has been poor during the opening four games. They have also relied too heavily on Duffy at the bowling crease.

He has delivered, though. The 29-year-old has 21 wickets at an average of 18.33 this season.

His six for 89 in the second innings against Northern Districts was his 12th first-class five-wicket bag.

During the course of the game he became Otago’s leading combined wicket-taker. Across the three formats he has taken 465 wickets.

He eclipsed the mark set by Stephen Boock more than 30 years ago. Boock did not get to play T20 cricket, so his tally was always going to tumble at some stage.

But Boock has taken more first-class than anyone else for Otago. His career tally of 399 wickets at an average of 20.63 has stood since 1989-90.

Duffy is eighth on the list with 253 wickets. His next target is the late Frank Cameron, who nabbed 258 wickets.

Duffy is the province’s leading wicket- taker in list A (120 wickets) and T20 (92 wickets), though.

His effort at the bowling crease was the major reason Otago was not chasing too many on Saturday.

He trapped Carter in front two runs short of a century. That was the prized scalp.

But Duffy had already accounted for most of the top order. He got Jeet Raval cheaply and snuffed out Bharat Popli’s innings for 52.

And like Wagner, he ran through the tail. He just needs a bit more support from the batting order.

— In the other two games, Central Districts held on for a draw against Canterbury in Napier and Auckland and Wellington had to settle for a draw at Eden Park Outer Oval as well.

Northern Districts lead the Plunket Shield with 58 points from four games. Wellington (47 points), Central Districts (43 points) and Canterbury (36 points) are keeping the pressure on, while Otago (20 points) and Auckland (17 points) have a lot of catching up to do once the tournament resumes in late February.

— Neil Wagner has been called into the Black Caps test squad for the tour of Bangladesh as a replacement for the injured Matt Henry.