Put another two sticks alongside the first and the other half of the team would not have been able to knock them out of the ground.
It has been that kind of twenty/20 campaign for Otago, and it ended on a familiar note with another loss yesterday.
A crowd of 1420 enjoyed a dramatic finish but it was the visitors who prevailed at the Queenstown Events Centre.
Wellington managed to overhaul Otago's total of 147 for eight, with Brett Lee scampering through for a suicidal single off the penultimate delivery of the match.
Aaron Redmond had a good look at all three stumps but his throw was astray.
The loss completed a miserable month for Otago.
The Volts lost their opening five HRV Cup matches and then found themselves confined to the dressing room as poor weather caused the next four games to be abandoned.
The team was hoping to finish the campaign on a positive note but remained winless.
Neal Parlane (34), Grant Elliott (29) and England international Luke Wright (28) all made useful contributions with the bat for Wellington but it was left to former Australian strike bowler Lee to finish the job.
He released the pressure valve with a massive six off the last ball of the 49th over, leaving his side requiring just four runs off the last over.
In general, batsmen win twenty/20 matches, and Otago's batting has lacked intensity and purpose.
Redmond was a notable exception.
The opener has been in quite dynamic form and played nicely again yesterday, whacking 50 from 37 deliveries.
He had good support from Craig Cumming, who showed positive intent.
Anything short got whisked over midwicket with his trademark pull shot.
But the Otago captain got too adventurous, shuffling across his stumps looking to whip the delivery to square leg and was trapped in front.
His cameo of 25 from 17 helped get the run rate heading in the right direction after Chris Nash and Hamish Rutherford had fallen cheaply.
Wellington made a double breakthrough with Black Caps offspinner Jeetan Patel snaffling the wickets of Darren Stevens and Sam Wells in the 13th over.
Stevens was trapped lbw and Wells hit a soft return catch to the bowler.
But the turning point came when Redmond was needlessly run out.
He called a quick single but Iain Robertson, on debut for Otago, did not budge, leaving Redmond stranded in the middle of the pitch.
With Redmond in the shed, Otago lost momentum.
His wicket was probably the difference between scoring 160-plus and winning the match, and limping to 147 and giving the opposition a sniff.
Lee had a tidy spell, taking two for 29 off his four overs.
Defending champion Central Districts cantered to an eight-wicket win over Auckland in New Plymouth yesterday, NZPA reported.
Auckland had already reached Sunday's final, but second-placed Central Districts needed to win yesterday to do likewise. Lou Vincent was key in Auckland, reaching 180 for seven, scoring 46 from 29 balls.
Central's chase began in style, thanks to Jamie How (43) and Peter Ingram (46), who put on 74 runs for the first wicket.
No 3 Ian Blackwell hit an unbeaten 68 off 33 ballsas Central Districts, only two wickets down, won with three overs to spare.
A superb captain's knock from Peter Fulton gave Canterbury an unlikely shot at making Sunday's final.
Canterbury powered to a 60-run win over Northern Districts at Queen Elizabeth 2 Park in Christchurch.
As it transpired, Central Districts' win over table-topper Auckland rendered the victory irrelevant.
Canterbury therefore ended the competition in third place.
Peter Fulton's 64 off 36 and a late flurry from all-rounder Johann van der Wath, who struck four sixes in his 31 from 13, saw Canterbury through to 163 for five in its 20 overs.
In reply, Northern was skittled for 103 in 18 overs.
Van der Wath was particularly effective with three for 12 off four overs.
