Wellington opener Jesse Tashkoff threatened to steal the win from Otago with a brilliant maiden list A century yesterday.
The Volts had enough runs on the board to avoid a third consecutive heartbreaking loss in the last over.
Max Chu clobbered 97 from 67 balls to help Otago post a formidable 349 for eight at the Basin Reserve.
But the home team sure mounted a tenacious chase.
Tashkoff marked himself out as a player to watch with a scintillating knock of 148 from 125 balls.
His dismissal should have killed off the game.
But wrist spinner Peter Younghusband swatted 26 off 10 to breathe life into the chase again.
He dispatched left-arm spinner Ben Lockrose for three sixes and a boundary in the 46th over.
Matt Bacon removed No 11 Liam Dudding to seal the win with four balls remaining.
The 18-run win has kept the Volts’ slim playoffs prospects alive.
Auckland beat Northern Districts by 71 runs at Eden Park Outer Oval to move into top position, while Canterbury slipped to second following a seven-wicket loss to Central Districts at McLean Park.
The Volts slumped to 17 for two and were in early trouble.
But in-form Otago pair Dale Phillips and Dean Foxcroft added 82 for the third wicket.
Phillips swivelled into a couple of pull shots and sent a memorable ondrive down the ground.
He was strong through the off-side as well and clipped eight boundaries in his knock of 48.
Foxcroft was fresh from a century in his last innings and was quickly back into his rhythm.
There was a French cut which could have ended in calamity. But there were some majestic drives through the leg side as well.
Leo Carter made another strong contribution with an undefeated 66 from 78. He helped add 145 for the fifth-wicket with Chu.
The stand-in skipper plundered 13 fours and three sixes in a whirlwind-almost-hundred.
The left-hander shuffled around the crease, sometimes taking a stance outside off and at other times standing wide of
leg stump.
The bowlers had trouble finding a safe line to bowl at him and that was the plan. He was calling the shots.
The wagon wheel had a lot of entries down the ground including two sixes over long-on.
He smashed Muhammad Abbas to the boundary four times in a brutal over towards the end of his knock.
Chu eventually holed out three shy of a maiden list A century.
He could have played it safe and nudged his way to the milestone. But he was hell-bent on adding to Otago’s massive tally.
Logan van Beek picked up his wicket and grabbed another two in the penultimate over to finish with four for 85.
Tashkoff’s innings was towards the extraordinary end of the spectrum. The 24-year-old right-hander only had six list A games under his belt but blasted 15 fours and four sixes.
And while he was batting with Nick Kelly (67), it looked like he was leading his side to a remarkable win.
However, fast bowler Andrew Hazeldine nabbed four for 48 to help the Volts clinch the win.
Ford Trophy game played at Basin Reserve yesterday. —
OTAGO
D Phillips b McPeake 48
J Todd lbw Dudding 4
L Johnson c Younghusband b van Beek 0
D Foxcroft lbw Younghusband 79
L Carter not out 66
M Chu c McPeake b van Beek 97
J Gibson c Abbas b Dudding 8
B Lockrose c Younghusband b van Beek 1
A Hazeldine c McLachlan b van Beek 8
M Bacon not out 3
Extras (4lb, 27w, 4nb) 35
Total (for 8 wkts, 50 overs) 349
Fall: 1-12, 2-17, 3-109, 4-176, 5-321, 6-330, 7-332, 8-340.
Bowling: L van Beek 10-0-85-4 (7w), L Dudding 8-0-58-2 (5w, 1nb), I McPeake 7-0-43-1 (5w), M Abbas 6-0-50-0 (2w), P Younghusband 10-0-55-1 (2w), N Greenwood 9-0-54-0 (3nb).
WELLINGTON
J Tashkoff c Foxcroft b Lockrose 148
N Greenwood b Hazeldine 11
G Severin c Foxcroft b McKay 19
M Abbas c Chu b Hazeldine 8
N Kelly c Bacon b Hazeldine 67
T Blundell c Johnson b McKay 0
C McLachlan b Hazeldine 1
L van Beek c Gibson b Bacon 19
P Younghusband c McKay b Gibson 26
I McPeake not out 13
L Dudding c Foxcroft b Bacon 3
Extras (7lb, 9w) 16
Total (all out, 49.2 overs) 331
Fall: 1-31, 2-88, 3-108, 4-242, 5-244, 6-247, 7-265, 8-312, 9-315, 10-331.
Bowling: A Hazeldine 10-0-48-4, M Bacon 9.2-0-48-2 (2w), J McKay 10-0-58-2 (3w), J Gibson 8-0-69-1 (3w), D Foxcroft 4-0-28-0 (1w), B Lockrose 8-0-73-1.
Result: Otago won by 18 runs.
