Otago registered their first win in the Plunket Shield in just over a year with a 70-run victory against Central Districts at Molyneux Park yesterday.
The Volts were winless in the competition this summer and managed only one win in 2023-24 and one win in 2022-23.
They have struggled in the red-ball format, but battled hard to prevail against a tenacious Stags side.
Spinner Dean Foxcroft snapped up four wickets on the last day to help seal the victory.
Dane Cleaver had threatened to carry the Stags to glory with an undefeated 98. And Tyler Annand played a punishing cameo late.
But the Volts had enough runs in the bank, partly due to a generous declaration by their opponent which gifted them a 90-run first innings lead.
Central Districts resumed on Saturday on 166 for four and pushed on to 300 for six.
Cleaver (83) and Josh Clarkson (104) put on 187 for the fifth wicket to help set up the sporting declaration.
Otago opening pair Jacob Cumming (38) and Dale Phillips (52) put on 80 for the first wicket.
But Stags left-arm spinner Jayden Lennox took over from there. He nabbed five for 66 to restrict Otago’s middle order from building on their lead too much — or too rapidly. The Volts were 203 for nine at stumps.
Travis Muller (20 not out) and Jarrod McKay (20 not out) added a further 31 runs yesterday morning before they were called in by Foxcroft, who is filling in as captain.
That left the Stags chasing 325 for the win from a minimum of 88 overs at a reasonably demanding run rate of 3.69.
That chase hit an early road bump. Matt Bacon got a delivery to taper back in and wrap Brad Schmulian (2) on the pad in front of middle.
Will Clark could not get going either. He lost his middle stump when Muller nipped the ball back between bat and pad.
There was further calamity for the visitors when the in-form Tom Bruce chopped the ball on to his stumps for one.
Muller had a second and the Stags had slumped to 39 for three.
Bruce’s departure, though, just brought another form player out to the middle.
Cleaver had amassed 560 runs at an average of 112 in the first five Plunket Shield games of the season.
The right-hander has been remarkably consistent, and his first-innings knock was just another reminder of how hard he has been to pry from the crease.
He combined in a partnership of 70 with Curtis Heaphy (48).
But Clarkson (10) and Angus Schaw (18) both perished before they could get going.
Foxcroft claimed both scalps, and the double breakthrough saw the Stags shift down a gear for a period.
The Volts crowded the bat and waited for a catch. And the catches came.
Lennox played a reverse sweep and holed out for seven, and Toby Findlay went next over. He got an edge through to the keeper.
But Annand took the attack back to Otago. He clobbered 46 from 37 balls and Cleaver too switched back into attack mode.
Annand sent the ball sailing towards the straight boundary too often for comfort for the Volts, and it was a great relief for them when he was trapped lbw by Foxcroft (four for 89).
Auckland secured a draw against Northern Districts at Eden Park Outer Oval, while Canterbury rebounded from being dismissed for 68 to almost run down Wellington in Rangiora.
They needed 503 to win and Henry Nicholls stroked an unbeaten 171 to help his side close to within 20 runs of glory.
Their 483 was the second-highest fourth-innings total in New Zealand first class history.
Otago holds the record. They scored 495 against Wellington at Carisbrook in 1924.
OTAGO
First innings 390/7
CENTRAL DISTRICTS
C Heaphy c McKay b O'Connor 33
B Schmulian run out (Foxcroft) 16
W Clark c Carter b Muller 3
T Bruce c Carter b McKay 32
D Cleaver c Kneebone b Phillips 83
J Clarkson c Foxcroft b Phillips 104
A Schaw not out 12
J Lennox not out 3
Extras (1b, 7lb, 3w, 3nb) 14
Total (6 wkts dec, 106.4 overs) 300
Fall: 1-32, 2-40, 3-80, 4-87, 5-274, 6-297.
Bowling: M Bacon 21-7-46-0, T O'Connor 20-8-38-1 (1w), J McKay 22-3-86-1 (2w, 3nb), T Muller 19-7-49-1, D Foxcroft 13-1-34-0, D Phillips 7.4-1-26-2, J Cumming 3-0-10-0, T Parkes 1-0-3-0.
OTAGO
J Cumming c Schmulian b Clarkson 38
D Phillips c Cleaver b Schaw 52
L Carter c Schmulian b Lennox 28
D Foxcroft c Annand b Lennox 20
T Parkes c Schmulian b Lennox 20
L Johnson c sub (Boyle) b Lennox 9
B Kneebone c Annand b Lennox 7
T Muller not out 20
T O'Connor st Cleaver b Schmulian 1
M Bacon b Schmulian 8
J McKay not out 20
Extras (1b, 5lb, 2w, 3nb) 11
Total (9 wkts dec, 64 overs) 234
Fall: 1-80, 2-109, 3-141, 4-164, 5-176, 6-183, 7-188, 8-193, 9-203.
Bowling: R Toole 5-0-20-0, T Annand 6-0-13-0 (1w), J Lennox 21-1-66-5, J Clarkson 7-1-24-1 (1w), A Schaw 14-2-50-1, T Findlay 5-0-27-0 (3nb), B Schmulian 6-1-28-2.
CENTRAL DISTRICTS
B Schmulian lbw Bacon 2
C Heaphy c Carter b Foxcroft 48
W Clark b Muller 15
T Bruce b Muller 1
D Cleaver not out 98
J Clarkson lbw Foxcroft 10
A Schaw c Johnson b Foxcroft 18
J Lennox c McKay b Phillips 7
T Findlay c Kneebone b McKay 1
T Annand lbw Foxcroft 46
R Toole run out (Cumming) 0
Extras (3lb, 2w, 3nb) 8
Total (all out, 70 overs) 54
Fall: 1-2, 2-35, 3-39, 4-109, 5-123, 6-153, 7-168, 8-171, 9-243, 10-254.
Bowling: M Bacon 11-1-44-1, T O'Connor 9-2-21-0, T Muller 14-1-44-2 (2nb), J McKay 9-2-35-1 (2w, 1nb), D Foxcroft 23-0-89-4, D Phillips 4-0-18-1.
Result: Otago won by 70 runs
