Looking every bit like the Henderson High School first XI, Auckland crumbled to be all out for 46 in its first innings during day two of its Plunket Shield match against Otago.
Some bloke called extras top-scored with nine runs and Hopkins was the next best with eight runs. You have to wind the clock back more than 100 years to find an equally dismal performance.
Auckland's total, if you can call 46 a total, was its lowest against Otago. The previous mark was 48 scored in Dunedin in December 1889.
Amazingly, Auckland actually went on to win that match.It dismissed Otago for 62 and 68 and reached the target with eight wickets in hand.
The present-day Auckland recovered somewhat to reach 225 for seven in its second innings, but still trails Otago's first-innings total of 327 by 56 runs. Defeat is imminent.
With the University Oval's checkered past, it would have been tempting to blame Auckland's troubles on the hastily prepared wicket.
But Hopkins was in no mood to look for excuses following the dreadful performance.
"The pitch was fine," he said. "I know there has been some tough days on it in the past but I thought it was a pretty good wicket.
"I can't speak for all the boys but our batting has been under a lot of pressure in the last three games.
"Sometimes the more you want runs, the harder you try and the harder it gets to go out and score and just be confident with your batting. I think it was more that for us than the conditions."
Experienced medium-pacer Warren McSkimming exploited overcast conditions beautifully to pick up his 10th five-wicket bag, and Ian Butler was pretty handy too with three for seven from a brief but devastating spell.
McSkimming's first delivery was whacked for four but he was almost unplayable after that, bending the ball away from the right-handers and nipping it back off the pitch.
"It was a funny old day," he said.
"I got a few wickets through genuine good balls but got a couple of guys caught which were pretty random sort of wickets.
Some days it works, some days it doesn't." While he played down his efforts, McSkimming created his own luck with some superb bowling.
He took five for 18 from nine overs in Auckland's first innings and has three for 31 in the second innings.
Earlier, Otago tail-enders Neil Wagner and Nick Beard added a further 18 runs to the Volts' overnight tally of 309 in a 10th-wicket partnership worth 47 runs - one more than Auckland managed.
Auckland's sorry day started with an unnecessary run-out. Promising opener Jeet Raval (0) set off on an ambitious single but Beard's throw beat his scrambling dive.
The visiting side then enjoyed, in the context of the morning, a fruitful patch, adding 18 runs without further calamity. Andrew de Boorder (5) perished to a good ball from McSkimming.
The wily veteran set the batsman up with two or three outswingers then got one to bend back the other way and take the inside edge. With the ball swinging, doubt flourished in the minds of the batsmen.
Anaru Kitchen followed Hopkins' lead and shouldered arms only to hear the ball collide with the stumps. In Hopkins' defence, he got a brute of a ball from Butler which jagged back sharply.
Talented all-rounder Colin de Grandhomme was another who decided against using his bat and was adjudged lbw. Auckland's innings lasted just 18 overs and 94 minutes.Otago wasted little time asking the visiting side to follow on. The Aces went to lunch at two without loss, trailing Otago by 279 runs.
The break was a panacea of sorts with Auckland returning a different side. It had the better of the afternoon session, adding 99 for one. But normal service resumed in the evening session with Otago taking six for 124.
Auckland's lowest total is just 13, scored against Canterbury at the Auckland Domain in December 1877. There were eight extras and Williams Rees' score of two was the next best.
