It is a box of hankies — just like last year and every year before that.
No-one under 50 uses hankies.
They get stuck in the back of the third drawer down — a bit like Rae’s record effort with the ball.
It will make for good reading in the almanac, but Otago got thumped by Auckland and his effort proved, well, redundant.
The towering seamer snaffled six late wickets in an impressive display of death bowling.
His heroic spell helped bowl out Auckland for 246 at Eden Park Outer Oval yesterday.
Earlier he had picked up the wicket of Graeme Beghin, when he chopped on for 20.
Rae became just the second Otago player to take seven wickets in a list A game. His seven for 35 improved on the seven for 49 Evan Marshall captured in a game against Auckland at Carisbrook in 1993-94.
Auckland’s Willie Watson(seven for 23) and Wellington’s Andrew Penn (seven for 28) are the only other players to take seven wickets in the tournament, while Tim Southee and Trent Boult have both taken seven wickets in an ODI.
It is a rare feat, and Rae’s effort deserved more from the match than a whopping loss.
The batsmen really let the side down.
Otago slumped to be all out for 113 and suffered a heavy 133-run defeat — the fifth-largest defeat in terms of runs in the team’s history.
Auckland made very rapid progress through Otago’s top order.
Mitch Renwick was given out lbw in the opening over. The ball looked to pitch outside leg, but the umpires only get one look.
Renwick cut a despondent figure has he marched off.
Neil Broom made the same walk moments later. Ross ter Braak trapped him in front.
The left-armer got the ball to swing back and Broom shouldered arms.
Ter Braak accounted for Kitchen with a similar delivery two balls later.
The Volts were reeling at three for three and ter Braak had more pain waiting.
He bowled the captain Nick Kelly in his next over.
Josh Finnie followed the rest of the top order down the slide when he nicked out on nine.
There is no recovering from 18 for five.
The game was gone.
Michael Rippon showed some resolve, but got a touch on a leg side delivery and perished for 19.
Dale Phillips swatted 41 to help steer his side past 100. He was the last man out when he scooped a delivery from ter Braak to the sub fielder.
Turns out those hankies Aunt Dorothy dropped under the tree might come in handy after all.
They are very absorbent. Good for soaking up moisture.
The return game is at Eden Park Outer Oval tomorrow.
In the other games, Canterbury smashed 346 for eight and beat Northern Districts by 137 runs at Hagley Oval, while in Palmerston North Wellington got up to beat Central Districts by five wickets.
