Otago's batting line-up had a fragile look about it and proved flimsy on the opening day of the Volts' Plunket Shield campaign.
Otago's plucky run chase unravelled in the space of two deliveries but all-rounder Sam Wells tried to stitch it back together with some brilliant hitting at the death.
Michael Bracewell has joined some pretty impressive company and must be wishing the Plunket Shield would never end.
Auckland left-armer Michael Bates exploited the conditions beautifully to put his side in a good position on the opening day of the Plunket Shield match against Otago at the University Oval yesterday.
Otago and Black Caps batsman Jesse Ryder can do no wrong on the park.
Perhaps a draw has never been more satisfying for Otago.
Otago all-rounder Sam Wells joined an elite club when he took five wickets and scored a century in the same innings to help the Volts post a seven-wicket win against Canterbury in a Plunket Shield fixture at the University Oval yesterday.
Otago offspinner Mark Craig snaffled his second first-class five-wicket bag but the game is evenly poised, as Canterbury posted a fighting 280 at the University Oval yesterday.
''We weren't ourselves'' Otago coach Vaughn Johnson lamented shortly after Northern Districts held aloft the HRV Cup.
Otago has returned to its winning ways and the top of the table, after a solid victory over Central Districts in New Plymouth yesterday.
The law of averages had to catch up with Otago eventually.
Otago coach Vaughn Johnson can accept the odd loss, but not a poor performance.
The Neil Broom you might remember struggled to make an impact during a short international cricket career four years ago.
Otago Volts coach Vaughn Johnson is extremely proud of his side but is not about to rest on his laurels.
It will have become clear overnight whether Otago is the first New Zealand team to reach the semifinals of the Champions League twenty20 tournament.
You hear elite athletes talking about ''the process'' a lot and frankly it gets a bit boring. So we listened intently when Otago all-rounder Ian Butler decided not to talk about the routines which have been working so well for the province during the last year.
Neil Broom? More like Neil Boom. The Otago Volts got an immense contribution from one of their under-rated stars as they swept to a dominant 62-run win over the Perth Scorchers in Jaipur early yesterday.
Otago are through to the main draw of the Champions League after a second convincing victory in the qualifying tournament in India.
Otago made a positive start to its Sri Lankan tour with a six-wicket win over a selection side in Colombo on Saturday.
Will he or won't he? That is the question everybody in the Otago camp is pondering at the moment.