Where is the ejection button?
Otago will spend the last day of their season in a grim struggle to rescue a draw with Central Districts at McLean Park in Napier.
The Volts have been batted into submission and the signs the tank was empty were on display late last night.
The visitors lost three quick wickets and will resume on 78 for three.
They need a further 193 runs to avoid an innings defeat, after Central amassed 580 in reply to Otago’s first innings tally of 309.
A bleak ending to a mostly frustrating campaign looks likely.
The Volts have managed just one win this season — a nine-wicket win against Canterbury at Molyneux Park this month.
Mostly the batting has been the issue. But the last two days have been hard toil for the attack.
Central resumed yesterday on 361 for five with a clear goal of batting Otago into oblivion.
Greg Hay, playing in his final match before he retires, had already done half the job.
He was on 137 overnight and continued on, making the most of what could be his final innings.
He was eventually undone on 179. He spent more than 10 hours at the crease and was on track for a double century before he swiped a reverse sweep to Jamal Todd off the bowling of Ben Lockrose.
You may never see a more understated celebration than the one Lockrose managed.
By the time Hay was out the home team was approaching 500.
Will Clark (66), Blair Tickner (46 not out) and Ajaz Patel (51) helped pushed the tally well north of that milestone.
Liam Dudding’s dismissal for a duck brought the innings to an end 20 runs shy of 600.
Lockrose (two for 163) bowled 44 overs in a marathon effort.
He is not the only Otago bowler who will happy to see the back of McLean Park. Seamers Jacob Duffy and Andrew Hazeldine also went for more than 100 runs.
The Volts were without first-innings centurion Dale Phillips, who was replaced by Jake Gibson as a concussion substitute.
Having spent nearly 170 overs in the field, an early wicket or two was always on. Jacob Cumming got a leading edge and had to depart for 14, and Dean Foxcroft was bowled for 15.
Thorn Parkes perished as well, dragging one on for 40.
In the other games, Canterbury completed a six-wicket win against Auckland at Eden Park Outer Oval, while the de facto Plunket Shield final between Wellington and Northern Districts is still in the balance in Hamilton.
OTAGO
First innings 309
CENTRAL DISTRICTS
First innings
W Young lbw b Muller 90
C Heaphy c Chu b Duffy 0
G Hay c Todd b Lockrose 179
B Schmulian run out Parkes/Chu 58
T Bruce c Gibson b Lockrose 32
D Cleaver c Chu b Georgeson 11
J Clarkson lbw b Muller 13
W Clark lbw b Foxcroft 66
B Tickner not out 46
A Patel c Chu b Hazeldine 51
L Dudding lbw b Foxcroft 0
Extras (9b, 9lb, 6w, 10nb) 34
Total (all out, 169.3overs) 580
Fall: 1-1, 2-154, 3-264, 4-312, 5- 340, 6-373, 7-474, 8-484, 9-579, 10-580
Bowling: J Duffy 34-5-101-1 (1w, 1nb), L Georgeson 25-4-54-1 (1w), T Muller 22-5-55-2 (1w, 1nb), A Hazeldine 19-2-116-1 (2w, 8nb), B Lockrose 44-3-163-2, D Foxcroft 25.3-4-73-2
OTAGO
Second innings
T Parkes b Clark 40
J Cumming c Clarkson b Dudding 14
D Foxcroft b Clarkson 16
T Muller not out 0
J Todd not out 0
Extras (6lb, 2nb) 8
Total (3 wkts, 31 overs) 78
Fall: 1-22, 2-72, 3-78
Bowling: L Dudding 6-2-14-1, B Tickner 10-2-24-0 (1nb), A Patel 5-1-11-0, J Clarkson 5-2-11-1, W Clark 5-1-12-1 (1nb).
