Otago's one-day season had some champagne moments but mostly fish 'n' chips and lager was all that was needed to mark the occasion.
Neil Broom's back-to-back centuries were definitely worth uncorking the bubbly. Nathan McCullum's first five-wicket haul and the sixth-wicket record partnership between Derek de Boorder and Darren Broom in the minor semifinal were other occasions when the Volts showed the sort of form worth really celebrating.
But third in a six-team competition warrants a pass mark and no more. Too often Otago found itself four wickets down for not many. You expect to lose wickets at a rapid rate in twenty/20 cricket but not in one-day cricket.
Three times this season Otago lost four wickets before it reached 100 runs and there were plenty of other mediocre efforts: 125/4 and 114/4 v Canterbury, 104/4 v Northern Districts, 129/4 vs Auckland.
It was bit grim and not exactly a rock solid platform from which to launch an assault and cash-in on the batting power play.
Individually, there were some decent performances from the top order batsmen but collectively they could not seem to synchronise their efforts.
Neil Broom scored 354 runs at 44.25 and Craig Cumming's haul of 281 runs at 40.14 also represented a fair season's work.
Aaron Redmond had a lean campaign by his standards (234 runs at 26.00) and rookie opener Michael Bracewell (195 at 21.66) is still getting established. The pair put on their best stand (78) in the major semifinal against Auckland but the combination did not get Otago off to the sort of starts it would have liked very often.
The middle order, though, emerged as an area of strength with Derek de Boorder (274 at 68.50) finding a rich vein of form and Darren Broom (244 at 40.66) also impressing.
Arguably, those two right-handers provided the greatest highlight with their fabulous partnership against Northern Districts in the minor semifinal.
Otago was struggling at 80 for five and seemingly heading for an early exit. But de Boorder (74 not out) and Broom (83 not out) starred in a remarkable comeback.
Chasing 272 for the win, the pair ignored the threatening skies and demanding run rate and inched their side close with sensible batting before pouncing during the power play.
It was the perfect run chase and when weather forced the players from the field for the final time, they had added 165 and had guided Otago to a nine-run win (Duckworth-Lewis).
It was a new Otago sixth-wicket record, passing the previous mark of 129 scored by Nathan McCullum and Jonathan Trott against Auckland in 2005-06.
De Boorder is a star on the rise and Darren Broom one to watch over the next few summers. Both amassed their highest one-day score during the partnership.
The bowlers also had their moments. Defending a middling score of 232 against Central Districts' power-packed batting line-up, McCullum produced his best effort, capturing five for 39. Among his victims that day were former internationals Mathew Sinclair and Peter Ingram and Black Cap all-rounder Jacob Oram. He was sorely missed once he joined the Black Caps' camp.
Left-arm strike bowler Neil Wagner was Otago's leading wicket-taker with 11 at 31.72 but he was also expensive, conceding 5.83 runs an over.
James McMillan, whose career appeared to be tapering off, bowled well when he was fit. The speedster took seven at 24.85.
All-rounder Ian Butler got pounded and so did experienced medium pacer Warren McSkimming when he was afforded opportunities.
English import Darren Stevens was the biggest disappointment. He arrived with a big reputation and seemed very capable, but was thoroughly underwhelming. And taking a nap when you are due to bat in a semifinal is not a great look for a paid professional.
While Otago had moments in the one-day campaign, the same cannot be said for the twenty/20 tournament.
The Volts opened with five consecutive losses. Rain ruined the next four games and Otago completed a miserable campaign with a three-wicket loss to Wellington.
Aaron Redmond was the only Otago batsman to pass 50 runs in an innings and English professional Chris Nash was the best performed bowler with six wickets at 21.16.
