It was the Fox doing the hunting this time.
Former Otago captain Dean Foxcroft guided the Volts to a comfortable five-wicket win in a T20 against Canterbury at Hagley Oval today.
He stroked an unbeaten 60 from 38 as the visitors chased down Canterbury’s tally of 169 with more than an over to spare.
The win has lifted the Volts into first place in the Super Smash table but they have played at least one game more than the other five sides.
Foxcroft told the broadcast commentary team it was "one of those days where things just [went] my way".
"There was a lot of hard work in the last week just to get my vision better at the crease.
"From ball one I just tried to be positive and show a bit of intent."
Foxcroft has not been in the best nick so far this season, but he looked more like the player who dominated the competition in 2022-23.
Opener Dale Phillips also played a critical role with the bat, notching 45 from 28 balls.
Andrew Hazeldine nabbed three wickets but got collared late by Henry Shipley.
Canterbury were ankle deep in mud early on.
Hazeldine removed the dangerous Chad Bowes in the third over.
The Canterbury opener swung the delivery to Phillips, who made a good diving catch low to his right at midwicket.
Hazeldine nabbed another later in the over when Rhys Mariu, who was making his T20 debut, holed out.
Matthew Boyle slapped three fours from the next over to generate some momentum.
The right-hander was happy to work the ball into space when he did not get the luxury of width or length.
And he combined with Cole McConchie to build a useful platform of 74 for two midway through the innings.
Otago needed a breakthrough and Ben Lockrose delivered. McConchie sliced an edge to Foxcroft for 16.
The mistake came just as Canterbury were looking to lift the tempo.
Two more quick wickets saw the Volts strengthen their grip.
Boyle was left shouldering the responsibility of getting the Kings through to something their all star bowling line-up could defend.
Zak Foulkes was no help. He ramped a delivery from Hazeldine as far as Max Chu’s gloves.
Canterbury had lost four wickets for seven runs.
But the 17th over was one the Volts will want to erase from the memory. It went for 26 runs.
Hard-hitting all-rounder Shipley swung Hazeldine away for four sixes to ruin the bowler’s figures. The fourth six was crunched back over the bowler’s head and the sight screen.
Shipley lofted the ball to Phillips — his ninth catch in four games — next over. But by then he had clouted 40 from 17 balls and changed the complexion of the innings.
Boyle finished unbeaten on 81 — his maiden half century in the format.
Canterbury’s tally was on the lean side. But with Kyle Jamieson swinging the ball passed Phillips’ bat for fun in the opening over, it shaped as a challenge.
Fellow opener Jamal Todd lost his off stump second ball courtesy of Foulkes. The left-hander has posted just 10 runs in his last four innings.
Llew Johnson’s brief stint at the crease netted 19 runs, but the Volts were reasonably placed at 52 for two at the end of the powerplay.
Phillips got the Volts ahead of the game and Foxcroft took over from there.