Cricket: Mixed day for Otago

Otago Volts bowler Christi Vijoen sends down a delivery to Central  Stags batsman Mitchell Renwick during the first day of a Plunket  Shield match at the University Oval in Dunedin yesterday. The  batsman at the non-striker’s end is Will Young. Photo by
Otago Volts bowler Christi Vijoen sends down a delivery to Central Stags batsman Mitchell Renwick during the first day of a Plunket Shield match at the University Oval in Dunedin yesterday. The batsman at the non-striker’s end is Will Young. Photo by Gerard O'Brien

Otago will start day two with two wickets down and an injured bowler.

The Volts dominated the morning session of their Plunket Shield game at the University Oval, reducing Central Districts to 69 for four. But the visitors rallied through Dane Cleaver and Will Young to reach 258.

Otago had slumped to four for two at stumps. One of those wickets was nightwatchman Craig Smith, though.

When the Volts bowl again, they will likely be without the services of left-armer Blair Soper. He has picked up a hamstring strain in his first match back in two years.

‘‘His [hamstring] has stiffened up a little on him so that is not a great sign,'' Otago coach Nathan King said.

‘‘At this stage I would guess that he is probably done in this game. He is pretty disappointed. It is a shame.

‘‘He has done the work. It is not like we've just plucked him out of club cricket in the last week or two. He has been with us for almost two months now and all the signs were really positive leading into this game.''

Soper got through 7.3 overs before breaking down. He was unlucky not to have picked up Cleaver's wicket when the batsman was put down at third slip on 13.

Otago strike bowler Jacob Duffy, who starred with five for 96, grabbed the spotlight during the morning session with accurate line and length bowling. He kept finding the edge of the bat and started with Greg Hay's blade.

The green surface no doubt provided some assistance but Duffy was consistently hitting good areas and was in the action again before long.

Fellow opener Ben Smith was next. He was enticed into a drive and the edge flew to Ryan Duffy at second slip. He pouched it in the bread basket.

Jimmy Neesham grabbed the next catch. It was low down to his right and he got two big mitts around the ball.

Duffy had three and picked up his fourth two balls later with another superb out-swinger. Tom Bruce supplied the edge this time and was gone for a two-ball duck.

His side's innings was teetering at lunch but Young was established at the crease on 23 and was joined by Cleaver. They combined to add a valuable 89 for the fifth wicket.

Young had shown great patience and even better technique. But on 59 - his seventh first-class half century this season - he missed a straight delivery and was trapped in front lbw by part-time left-arm spinner Anaru Kitchen.

Neesham, who got the ball to zip through, had the better of Doug Bracewell and quickly dispatched the Black Caps seamer. The batsman tried a leave the delivery but got a bottom edge on to the stumps for nine.

Cleaver soon found himself batting with the tail. Otago offered him singles. The batsman responded by hitting boundaries or pushing the ball into the leg side and scampering through for a hasty brace. But he tried to steal a second run once too often and was run out for 93.

No11 Liam Dudding frustrated Duffy by playing and missing perhaps half a dozen times before he finally holed out to complete the bowler's fourth five-wicket bag.

●The game is well advanced at the Basin Reserve, with Wellington 130 for four in reply to Auckland's first innings total 152. At Hagley Oval, Canterbury is eight for one in reply to the Northern Districts total of 185.

Add a Comment

OUTSTREAM