Otago ended a 20-year drought when it won the State Shield trophy. But earlier in the summer the Volts were dogged by inconsistency and looked anything but a champion side. Cricket writer Adrian Seconi reports.
Otago captain Craig Cumming let out a loud yell of joy when he clipped the winning runs to midwicket during the State Shield final.
Earlier, Brendon McCullum had played one of the best one day innings seen in New Zealand, whacking 170 runs off 108 balls to help his side run down Auckland's total of 310 with eight overs and seven wickets to spare.
It was a comprehensive victory and helped lance a boil that had been festering for the past two decades since Warren Lees' team won both the one-day and four-day competitions in the summer of 1987-88.
And for the players, it helped lay to rest the ghost of last year's final when they were well beaten by Auckland on their home turf.
Celebrations went long into the night but a couple of months earlier the likelihood of the Otago side ending the dry spell had looked remote.
The season started well enough with Otago securing a narrow win over Canterbury thanks to some fantastic fielding, tight bowling and a fighting half century by Derek de Boorder.
By and large Otago's fielding was outstanding and its death bowling top drawer. It was the batting which fluctuated and threatened to deny it the opportunity of a repeat appearance in the final.
Against Wellington, Otago was not able to put enough runs on the board and its performance hinted at the roller-coaster ride to come.
Aaron Redmond struck his maiden one-day 100 to help demolish Auckland by 39 runs but Otago slumped to 80 for five against Central Districts and could not recover.
The Volts finally strung back-to-back victories with a fivewicket win over Northern Districts and a superb effort against Central Districts in which Redmond carried his bat for 134 and English profession Alex Gidman scored a classy 100 from 103 balls to post a formidable 321 for five, Otago's highest one-day innings.
A play-off spot beckoned but consecutive losses to Auckland and Wellington, and an abandoned match against Canterbury, left Otago needing to beat Northern Districts in its last round-robin match and keep its fingers crossed Auckland would beat Central Districts. With its season on the line the champion side finally emerged and prevailed in a desperate struggle thanks mostly to guts and determination.
Greg Todd dug in for 67 and soldiered through a tough spell early in which the Queens Park wicket was offering plenty of assistance for the bowlers. And all-rounder Nathan McCullum played a gem of an innings to score 63 and help Otago reach 246.
Otago struck early but the game was won at the death with Bradley Scott and Warren McSkimming drawing on all of their experience to shut down James Marshall and restrict Northern Districts to 242.
Despite the gutsy win, Otago had a debt of gratitude to pay to former Volts wicketkeeper Gareth Hopkins, who rescued Auckland from the brink with a fabulous undefeated innings of 130 to complete the second leg of the double and see Otago into the semifinal against Canterbury in Christchurch.
Brendon McCullum, fresh from a swashbuckling 77 for the Black Caps in the fifth one-day international against England, made himself available and promptly scored a controlled and undefeated 108. Gidman also played a superb knock scoring 81 off 83 balls and Scott took three for 40 to help Otago to a comprehensive six-wicket win.
Brendon McCullum's 170 in the final will go down in Otago cricket folklore but both Todd and Cumming formed century partnerships with the master blaster.
Cumming finished undefeated on 86 and, in a week when he was dropped from the test team, reminded the selectors of his ability.
Brendon McCullum might have stolen the limelight at the business end of the competition but Scott was solid all year and off spinning all-rounder Nathan McCullum showed enough to suggest he would not be out of place in the national one-day squad. McSkimming was reliable and was starting to get back to his best after an injury-plagued season last summer.
Fast bowler James McMillan was hampered by a hamstring injury and struggled to impose himself on the tournament.
Neil Broom had his moments with the bat and played a couple of destructive innings, and Gidman played two important knocks.
Redmond made the most of his opportunities and, in his first season opening the batting, scored two centuries.