There can be honour in defeat.
Luke Georgeson and his Otago Volts team-mates might not have immediately celebrated that but they deserved credit for nearly escaping Seddon Park with a draw yesterday.
They staged a spirited rearguard action before losing the final wicket of their second innings with just four overs remaining to hand Northern Districts a 113-run win in the Plunket Shield clash.
Georgeson was shaping to be the hero of the hour, grafting 171 balls for his unbeaten 49, while tail-enders Jarrod McKay (0 off 69 balls) and Toby Hart (5 off 26) did their best to bat time and stave off defeat.
Set an unlikely 354 to win off 88 overs, Otago had plunged deep into the mire at 22 for four with Jack Boyle (3), Tom Jones (3), Thorn Parkes (0) and Troy Johnson (2) sent to the sheds by Zak Gibson.
In that context, what the Volts managed to do for the rest of the day highlighted some obvious spine in the team.
Jacob Cumming continued his excellent start to the summer with his fourth first-class half-century, striking nine boundaries in his 57 before he mistimed a pull shot to fine leg.
Cumming and Max Chu had added 96 for the fifth wicket, Chu proceeding nicely to 60 before swiping around one from left-arm spinner Tim Pringle.
That meant shut-up-shop time, and Georgeson showed all his patience and resilience as he held firm at one end.
Ben Lockrose nibbled away with 32, but when Danru Ferns went for a first-ball duck, it was Georgeson and the two tail-enders against a Northern attack that, even with Kristian Clarke called into the Black Caps, could smell blood.
McKay was obdurate, time and again showing a straight face of the bat, and it was shaping to be one of the all-time great unbeaten zeroes before he got a nick behind.
Hart did his bit as the Volts got close but he chased a ball drifting down leg and was also caught by the keeper.
Northern had resumed the final day on 255 for seven with Joe Carter unbeaten on 98.
Carter duly moved to his 12th first-class century with a punchy drive through the covers for a boundary off the bowling of Lockrose.
Pringle reached 25 before he flogged Lockrose to Boyle at midwicket, and Josh Brown hooked McKay for six before swiping at a Hart short ball and being caught in the deep.
Northern then declared their second innings at 296 for nine, feeling they were in a winning position, and eventually the defending champions were proven right.
Otago now return home to play Central Districts in a Plunket Shield game beginning at the University Oval on Saturday.
Central wrapped up a 295-run demolition of Canterbury in Napier yesterday.
Resuming at 127 for eight in the futile pursuit of 446 for victory, Canterbury showed some grit for 26 overs, but merely delayed the inevitable as they were rolled for 150. Jesse Frew (30 off 171 balls) and Fraser Sheat (20 off 58) fought hard for the cause as substitute players after Mitch Hay and Michael Rae were called into the Black Caps.
Auckland stayed top of the table after their 162-run win over Wellington at the Eden Park outer oval.
Wellington resumed at 30 for two, 456 runs in arrears, and put up a decent fight. Tim Robinson scored 106, Callum McLachlan 85 and Nick Kelly 59, but the Firebirds eventually fell for 323 in the 101st over.
Otago v Northern Districts
NORTHERN DISTRICTS
First innings 346
Second innings (resumed 255/7)
H Cooper b Georgeson 45
J Raval c Chu b Ferns 1
B Popli lbw b Georgeson 1
J Carter not out 119
R O’Donnell c Jones b Lockrose 17
B Hampton lbw b McKay 60
K Clarke b Boyle 1
B Pomare c Chu b McKay 11
T Pringle c Boyle b Lockrose 25
J Brown c Parkes b Hart 7
Z Gibson not out 2
Extras (2b, 1lb, 4w) 7
Total (for 9wkts dec, 80 overs) 296
Fall: 1-7, 2-8, 3-64, 4-93, 5-199, 6-200, 7-217, 8-271, 9-285.
Bowling: D Ferns 11-4-17-1, L Georgeson 9-3-20-2 (1w), J Cumming 1-0-4-0, T Hart 15-2-68-1 (2w), J McKay 18-5-71-2 (1w), B Lockrose 11-2-71-2, J Boyle 13-3-40-1, T Johnson 2-1-2-0.
OTAGO
First innings 289
Second innings
J Cumming c Hampton b Brown 57
J Boyle c O’Donnell b Gibson 3
T Jones c Hampton b Gibson 3
T Parkes b Gibson 0
T Johnson c Pomare b Gibson 2
M Chu b Pringle 60
L Georgeson not out 49
B Lockrose c Carter b Naylor 32
D Ferns c Popli v Naylor 0
J McKay c Pomare b Cooper 0
T Hart c Pomare b Pringle 5
Extras (17b, 4lb, 5w, 3nb) 29
Total (all out, 84 overs) 240
Fall: 1-10, 2-20, 3-20, 4-22, 5-118, 6-142, 7-203, 8-203, 9-227, 10-240.
Bowling: Z Gibson 15-6-42-4 (1nb), J Naylor 10-3-34-2 (1w), B Hampton 4-0-17-0, H Cooper 12-8-21-1, J Brown 11-0-40-1 (4w, 2nb), T Pringle 25-11-51-2, J Raval 7-5-14-0.
Result: Northern won by 113 runs.
