Kitchen ecstatic over double ton

Otago double centurion Anaru Kitchen guides the ball into the legside against Northern Districts...
Otago double centurion Anaru Kitchen guides the ball into the legside against Northern Districts on the second day of the Punket Shield match at the University Oval yesterday. Umpire Derek Walker looks on. Photo: Peter McIntosh.
Anaru Kitchen would have dreamed of scoring a double century had he got much sleep.

Instead, the aggressive Otago right-hander spent most of the night awake and thinking about what that moment might feel like.

And now he knows.

He clouted Northern Districts spinner Joe Walker over midwicket for six to raise his double ton at the University Oval yesterday.

The 33-year-old is just the 10th Otago batsman to achieve the feat and he is now the new holder of the highest score by an Otago batsman against Northern Districts. He eclipsed team-mate Neil Broom’s record of 203 not out set in the 2010-11 season.

Kitchen’s innings of 207 has put the Volts in a dominant position at stumps on day two.

Northern Districts is 162 for five in reply to Otago’s 432 for eight declared. There is much work ahead to avoid potentially following on.

Legspinner Rhys Phillips picked up the key wicket of Dean Brownlie for 87 shortly before stumps. But the day belonged to Kitchen.‘‘I’m ecstatic, really. I didn’t get too much sleep last night,’’ Kitchen said.

Kitchen resumed on 141 and had an inkling a double century was in the offering, hence the trouble sleeping.

He was batting with Christi Viljoen at the time and was uncertain how he should approach the 190s having  never got that far before.‘‘I actually said to Christi, ‘What do you reckon I should do here? Do you reckon I should go for it?’.‘‘He said, ‘Just wait for the bad ball and hit it’, and sure enough I got an opportunity and got it.’’Sure did. It sailed high up on the embankment.Kitchen joins the Otago 200 club which includes the likes of the incomparable Bert Sutcliffe, John Reid and Ken Rutherford.

Two seasons ago, Kitchen’s career was at a crossroads. He was not getting the opportunities with Auckland he desired so he shifted south to Otago.

The move has certainly paid off. He has scored four centuries for Otago this season which puts him in an even more elite club featuring just Glenn Turner, Craig Cumming, Michael Bracewell and Jesse Ryder.Kitchen was in brutal form on day one but took some time to get going yesterday.He was mindful of not squandering the wonderful opportunity. Derek de Boorder perished early for 68. The pair had put on a 213.

Sam Wells joined Kitchen at the crease and played with freedom in his knock of 36. Kitchen’s dismissal was followed shortly by a declaration.

By drinks, Northern Districts was in a pickle at 48 for two. Eighteen-year-old Nathan Smith took two wickets with consecutive balls.

Explosive all-rounder Corey Anderson let the hat-trick ball pass harmlessly, but he did not last long.He edged Michael Rae to second slip where Brad Wilson took a stunner, leaping high and plucking it out of the air.

Brownlie looked at ease and Daryl Mitchell set anchor at the other end. The pair put on 100 for the fourth wicket.

Rae broke the partnership with a fabulous bouncer which struck Mitchell’s gloves on the way through to the keeper.

Mitchell had batted for nearly three hours for his 47 and Brownlie departed shortly after. He prodded down the wrong line and nicked to first slip.In Christchurch, Wellington is 117 for five in reply to Canterbury’s first-innings total of 197, while in Napier, Central Districts is 63 for one in reply to Auckland’s 200 for nine declared.

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