Cricket: Volts fail to finish job – twice

Sam Wells
Sam Wells
Otago has plenty of hitting power at the top but it was a lack of it further down which proved so costly this weekend.

The Volts came within a couple of lusty blows of beating the Northern Knights yesterday and one good tonk would have seen Otago beat Auckland in its opening Super Smash match in Hamilton on Saturday.

Northern posted a par score of 145 for five and held on to win by 10 runs. Auckland reached 167 for four and survived a thriller to win by two runs.

They are the kinds of games Otago used to win in the past. But the Volts' batting order lacks the punch it used to pack in the middle and lower order.

That is mostly down to supplying the national side with so many quality players. Ian Butler's retirement has not helped either.

The end result is Otago had all its heavy-hitters in the top five. When they could not get the job done, it fell on poor Sam Wells to find the fence in the final moments of both matches.

Otago captain Ryan ten Doeschate looked to have Otago's pursuit of Northern's tally in hand.

He hit two sixes in the 18th over to swing the balance in his side's favour. But he carved the first ball of the penultimate over straight to point, leaving Wells and Derek de Boorder to score 19 runs from 11 deliveries.

Neither could find the boundary and Otago came up 10 runs short.

A similar scenario unfolded against Auckland. Ten Doeschate was once again set at the crease but holed out from the first ball of the last over.

Otago's cause looked lost but had Wells connected with his last two mighty swings of the bat, the Volts would have been celebrating instead of rueing the narrow defeat.

Wells had hit Mitchell McClenaghan for six over midwicket to leave Otago needing three to win from two deliveries.

The Black Caps paceman whizzed the next past the bat, although it was there to hit.

The next was not - a superb yorker length delivery which ducked under Wells' bat clattered into leg stump.

Auckland all-rounder Colin de Grandhomme laid the ground work for his side's win, smashing 42 not out from just 19 deliveries, and out-of-form Black Caps opener Martin Guptill rediscovered some of his touch with 64 from 54.

The key moment against Northern came in the 10th over when Michael Bracewell (30) and Jesse Ryder (33) both offered catches.

Spinner Jono Boult was the fortunate bowler. He finished with two for 26 from his four over allotment, while fellow spinner Daniel Vettori bowled four overs for a frugal 15 runs.

Seamer Ben Laughlin (one for 21) grabbed the key wicket of ten Doeschate. Earlier, batsmen Dean Brownlie (40) and Daryl Mitchell (45) helped their side get through to a defendable total.

Otago spinners Nick Beard (none for 14) and Nathan McCullum (one for 15) were miserly, and Ryder (one for 12) also proved hard to get away.

Otago's pace trio of James McMillan, Jacob Duffy and Dirk Nannes had an afternoon to forget.

• In the opening Super Smash game on Saturday, the Northern Knights beat Wellington by 26 runs.

Northern posted 157 for eight with left-hander Travis Birt whacking 44 from 40 deliveries. Wellington seamer Dane Hutchinson picked up four for 36 and English import Luke Fletcher three for 19.

But Wellington struggled with Northern's spin trio. Anton Devcich (four for 19), Jono Boult (one for 15) and Daniel Vettori (one for 23) combined to restrict Wellington to 131 for nine.

• In the late game last night, the Canterbury Kings chased down the Central Stags' meagre 20-over total of 114 for seven with eight balls to spare.

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