Volts fans will be boiling mad.
Otago completed a winless Ford Trophy campaign with a crushing six-wicket loss to Auckland in Queenstown yesterday.
The Volts were rolled for a measly 158 and the visitors cantered past the target with more than 26 overs to spare.
It was a fitting end. Otago have laboured for runs.
The highest score they managed was 227, which is seldom enough to win a game.
They also dipped under 150 twice.
They lost all seven completed games and were winless for only the third time since round-robin play was introduced in the one-day format in 1980.
But among the debris yesterday were a couple of performances which glimmered with potential.
Jarrod McKay grabbed four for 39 and bowled with good heat. He will be very happy with the deliveries which accounted for openers Dale Phillips (54) and Sean Solia (19).
The 25-year-old looks to be finally finding his feet at the top level, while the same is arguably true about opener Jacob Cumming.
The left-hander joined the Volts set-up in 2022 with the reputation of being the country’s best young batter, but struggled.
Four years on and the 22-year-old looks more assured and has added some power to his game. He notched a career-high 49.
Thomas O’Connor was the only other Otago batter to land a few blows. He clubbed a spirited 29.
Auckland’s spin trio of Rohit Gulati (three for 22), Adi Ashok (two for 30) and Sid Dixit (one for 17) dismantled the middle and lower order, while right-arm medium pacer Simon Keene took three for 32 in a solid spell.
Phillips clouted a rapid half-century at the top to help the Aces seal a comprehensive win.
Central Districts beat Canterbury by 22 runs in Nelson. Both are already through to the Ford Trophy playoffs.
The match between Wellington and Northern Districts at the Basin Reserve was postponed due to road closures and will be played today.
It is effectively a quarterfinal, as the winner will play the Stags in Friday’s elimination final.
OTAGO
J Cumming c Phillips b Ashok 49
H Bogue c Ashok b Keene 8
J Boyle c Jacobs b Keene 9
M Chu lbw Ashok 17
T Johnson b Gulati 19
T O’Connor b Gulati 29
B Lockrose b Dixit 3
M Clarke b Dixit 0
M Bacon not out 7
J McKay c Phillips b Keene 5
Extras (3lb, 4w) 7
Total (all out, 43.3 overs) 158
Fall: 1-10, 2-21, 3-38, 4-84, 5-101, 6-139, 7-144, 8-144, 9-144, 10-158.
Bowling: B Lister 8-1-23-1, S Keene 6.3-1-32-3 (1w), H Johal 2-0-18-0 (1w), R Harrison 4-1-13-0 (1w), R Gulati 10-2-22-3, A Ashok 8-1-30-2 (1w), S Dixit 5-0-17-1.
AUCKLAND
D Phillips c Bogue b McKay 54
S Solia b McKay 19
R Harrison b McKay 14
C Fletcher c Cumming b McKay 15
B Jacobs not out 24
S Keene not out 26
Extras (3lb, 6w) 9
Total (for four wickets, 23.4 overs) 161
Fall: 1-63, 2-80, 3-96, 4-119.
Bowling: M Clarke 5.4-0-52-0 (1w), T C’Connor 3-0-24-0 (4w), M Bacon 5-0-23--0 (1w), L Georgeson 1-0-5-0, J McKay 7-1-39-4, B Lockrose 2-0-15-0.
Result: Auckland won by six wickets.
