Otago failed to ram home its first-day supremacy and surrendered the advantage to Auckland on the second day of the State Championship match at Eden Park.
An opening stand of 158 between test rejects Craig Cumming and Aaron Redmond put Otago into a strong position and it was continued for the rest of the first day.
Cumming was in superb touch and played an aggressive innings to score his second century of the season. He batted for 206min and hit 17 fours.
Redmond proved to the New Zealand selectors that he could bat time when he stayed at the wicket for three hours and hit 10 fours in his well-constructed innings.
"It was an impressive display by the opening pair against two international bowlers on a pitch that had life in the opening session," Otago coach Mike Hesson said.
The Auckland attack was spearheaded by Chris Martin and Darryl Tuffey, who were not able to tame the Otago opening pair.
Otago was in a strong position overnight at 350 for five but it crumpled yesterday and was dismissed for 418.
Greg Todd, who was on 83 overnight, fell painfully short of his fifth first-class ton. He chased a wide ball from Andy McKay on 98, which was snicked into the gloves of wicketkeeper Gareth Hopkins.
McKay and fellow-seamer Colin de Grandhomme both snared two wickets yesterday. De Grandhomme finished with the best figures of three for 60.
Auckland opener Martin Guptill was the latest beneficiary of Eden Park outer oval's generous nature with a maiden first class century against Otago yesterday.
Another high-scoring State Championship match is unfolding at the ground after the home side reached 288 for two by stumps on the second day in response to Otago's 418.
Guptill was unbeaten on 129, his first visit to three figures in 19 matches while Scott Styris had scooted to 70 at the other end.
The wickets to fall were Rhys Young for a lively 54 and captain Richard Jones for 18, both to right-arm seamer James McMillan whose figures were two for 40 off 12 overs. The other seven Otago bowlers used struggled for penetration on the flat deck.
• A battle of attrition continued to play itself out as Central Districts gained the upper hand over Wellington a the Basin Reserve yesterday.
Any prospects of an outright result diminished when rain severely cut into the first day, and bat has dominated ball thereafter.
By the close yesterday, Wellington had crawled to 261 for five in pursuit of Central Districts' first innings of 523, an imposing target built around classy centuries by Mathew Sinclair and Bevan Griggs.
• Reigning champion Canterbury faces the prospect of entering the Christmas break without one competition point to show for its efforts through four rounds.
Another unconvincing performance with the bat yesterday leaves it staring at defeat on the last day of its four-day fixture against Northern Districts in Hamilton today.
Canterbury was again found wanting when responding to the home side's first innings of 430, being dismissed for an inadequate 265 at Seddon Park.
Northern Districts extended their overall lead to 210 runs by the close in reaching 45 for two in their second innings.
