It is also shaping as an emotional one for a former Otago player.
The Volts are 120 for three at stumps and need a further 287 for an unlikely win against Northern Districts.
Enemy No 1 will be part-time wrist spinner Jeet Raval, who is turning it square at the University Oval.
No 2 on the list is former Otago left-armer Neil Wagner.
Wagner will be nice and fired up for what will be his final first-class game in New Zealand.
The 39-year-old is heading to the United Kingdom to play county cricket later in the year and would love to bookend his New Zealand career with a win against the Volts.
Seventeen years ago, he made his New Zealand first-class cricket debut for Otago against Northern Districts in Dunedin.
In a post on social media, he said he was ‘‘extremely lucky to represent two great associations who gave me the platform to be a Black Cap and play at the highest level’’.
Otago resumed yesterday at 81 for four.
They trailed Northern Districts by 330 runs.
That is not where you want to start the penultimate day of the season.
The demoralising position quickly deteriorated.
Brad Kneebone had his middle stump knocked out of the ground by Kristian Clarke.
Raval turned the ball back from the footmarks to bowl Jamal Todd for seven.
It was a terrific ball, and he grabbed two more quick wickets to finish with four for 20.
Wagner claimed three for 33.
Dean Foxcroft top-scored with 54 in what was an otherwise limp batting display by the home team.
Then it was wackadoodle time.
Surprisingly, the visitors elected against enforcing the follow-on.
They led by 266 and had only bowled 56 overs. But they opted to give the bowlers a brief rest and clobbered some sixes instead.
All-rounder Scott Kuggeleijn was asked to open and get on with it. And get on with it is what he did.
He blasted eight sixes and three fours in a whirlwind knock of 71 from 26 balls.
Kuggeleijn posted 50 in a record-breaking 19 balls to set a new mark for the fastest half-century in first-class cricket in New Zealand.
The right-hander eclipsed the record previously held by hard-hitting Auckland all-rounder Andre Adams, who smote 50 from 20 balls against Otago at Eden Park Outer Oval in March 1998 on his debut.
Wagner dished out some more pain.
He smashed an unbeaten 27 from 11 balls before Northern declared.
They had batted for 11 overs and added 140 further runs at nearly 13 an over.
Ouch.
That left Otago chasing 407 for an improbable win.
Wagner struck early.
He caught Dale Phillips in two minds. The Otago right-hander made a late decision to leave but did not get his bat out of the way quickly enough and deflected the ball to Raval, who dived across in front of second slip and made the catch.
Raval was pressed back into action at the bowling crease.
He was getting significant turn and ripped a delivery past both Luke Georgeson (30) and Jacob Cumming (47).
The footmarks provided the assist. He got some extra purchase out of the rough.
Otago’s challenge will be to find a way to counter that today and stitch together a threatening partnership.
Central Districts cruised to a nine-wicket win against Auckland in Palmerston North. They rolled the visitors for just 90 in their second innings and needed just 56 to win.
Blair Tickner took five for 30 to help set up the win.
At the Basin Reserve, Canterbury are 28 for three and need a further 364 runs to beat Wellington.
Jesse Tashkoff (109) and Tom Blundell (119) starred for Wellington with a century apiece.
Northern Districts
First innings 411/7
Otago
First innings
J Cumming c Popli b Kuggeleijn 6
D Phillips c Pomare b Raval 20
L Georgeson c Popli b Wagner 34
D Foxcroft c Clarke b Wagner 54
T Parkes c Kuggeleijn b Cooper 1
B Kneebone b Clarke 7
J Todd b Raval 7
M Bacon c&b Raval 6
A Hazeldine c Wagner b Raval 0
J McKay not out 0
T Hart b Wagner 0
Extras (4lb, 1w, 5nb) 10
Total (all out, 56 overs) 145
Fall: 1-10, 2-64, 3-71, 4-76, 5-93, 6-113, 7-121, 8-121, 9-145, 10-145.
Bowling: S Kuggeleijn 7-2-16-1 (1w), K Clarke 11-1-35-1 (5nb), N Wagner 11-2-33-3, S Johnston 8-0-26-0, J Raval 11-3-20-4, H Cooper 3-2-3-1, J Brown 5-2-8-0.
Northern Districts
Second innings
S Kuggeleijn c Phillips b Hart 71
J Raval c Hazeldine b McKay 14
N Wagner not out 27
B Popli not out 21
Extras (3b, 2lb, 1w, 1nb) 7
Total (for 2 wkts dec, 11 overs) 140
Fall: 1-90, 2-90.
Bowling: M Bacon 2-0-29-0, A Hazeldine 3-0-33-0 (1w), J McKay 4-0-53-1 (1nb), T Hart 2-0-20-1.
Otago
Second innings
J Cumming b Raval 47
D Phillips c Raval b Wagner 15
L Georgeson b Raval 30
D Foxcroft not out 13
T Parkes not out 5
Extras (1b, 5lb, 2w, 2nb) 10
Total (for 3 wkts, 51 overs) 120
Fall: 1-32, 2-98, 3-103
Bowling: S Kuggeleijn 5.3-2-19-0, K Clarke 11-2-23-0, N Wagner 9-1-23-1, S Johnston 6-2-7-0, J Brown 4-0-12-0, J Raval 8-0-23-2, R O'Donnell 0.3-0-1-0, H Cooper 7-3-6-0.
Fall: 1-32, 2-98, 3-103.
