And from there they can see the road to the final.
All going well, they could even secure a home venue for said final.
That would have sounded like the ravings of a lunatic a few weeks ago.
The Volts’ playoff prospects were on life support.
But they have strung together three wins to revive their campaign.
The bowling unit can claim almost all of the credit and they will be key tomorrow as Otago looks to dispatched the bottom-of-the-table Wellington Firebirds in Queenstown to secure a playoff berth.
There is plenty at stake in the final round. Only the top three sides progress.
Northern Districts (22 points, second place) will host Canterbury (24 points, first place) in Mt Maunganui.
If Canterbury win, they will lock in top spot and host the final on February 24. A loss will leave them vulnerable to slipping out of the top three.
But what Otago (22 points, third place) will want is for Northern Districts to win but fail to pick up a bonus point.
That would leave the door ajar for the Volts, because a bonus-point win against Wellington would enable them to avoid the Wednesday’s elimination final and secure a home venue for the final.
But they will be focused on the win first, though, as that will confirm their presence in the playoffs.
A loss would leave them vulnerable to being overtaken by Auckland (20 points, fourth place).
The Aces host Central Districts (17 points, fifth place).
The Stags are out of contention but Auckland has a very decent shot at the playoffs.
A win would be enough to get the Aces into the elimination final.
The Volts have stuck with the same group of players, as you would expect. But while they have strung together three wins, not all is rosy.
The top order has not fired. Openers Luke Georgeson (106 runs at 15.14) and Jacob Cumming (56 at 14) have not made the impact they would have liked. Captain Dean Foxcroft’s haul of 143 runs at an average of 20.43 is well below expectations from a player of his ability.
Thorn Parkes has played some critical innings in the middle, though. He is closing in on 300 runs for the campaign and is averaging nearly 60.
Dale Phillips clubbed a century in the opening game and remains a threat as well.
But Otago’s form with the blade will remain a concern going into the final round of the competition.
All goes well with the ball, however.
The Volts’ under-rated attack has claimed all 10 wickets in their past three games.
There has not been one real standout. The wickets have been spread around.
But Andrew Hazeldine has emerged as a threat at the top of the innings. He has one of the best dot-ball percentages in the competition.
Jacob Duffy did not get a lot of success early, but he picked up key wickets in his last outing.
Georgeson has been a surprise package. He has 10 wickets at 19.50.
And Matt Bacon is a crafty white-ball bowler.
Ford Trophy
Otago team
Luke Georgeson, Jacob Cumming, Dean Foxcroft, Dale Phillips, Thorn Parkes, Llew Johnson, Max Chu, Ben Lockrose, Andrew Hazeldine, Matt Bacon, Jacob Duffy, Travis Muller, Ollie White.
Queenstown, tomorrow, 10.30am
Competition standings. —
Canterbury 24
Northern Districts 22
Otago 22
Auckland 20
Central Districts 17
Wellington 13
