Foulkes was a last-over hero for Canterbury | Photosport

Dunner stunner: 643 runs in a last-ball thriller

Posted Thursday, 6 February, 2025 in Match Reports

Video Highlights

ROUND 6 of 10

OTAGO VOLTS lost to CANTERBURY by 1 run

6 February 2025

University of Otago Oval, Dunedin

Points: Otago Volts 0, Canterbury 4

All images: PHOTOSPORT

SCORECARD

SELECTED MILESTONES

  • Scott Janett: List A debut
  • Mason Clarke: List A debut
  • Dale Phillips: 50th List A match
  • Rhys Mariu: career best List A score
  • Scott Janett: Maiden List A century (on debut)
  • Jamal Todd: Maiden List A half century
  • Llew Johnson: Maiden List A century

Canterbury and the Otago Volts traded maiden centuries in a remarkable, high-scoring Ford Trophy thriller that will go down as one of doozies - the Volts almost pulling off what would have been one of their biggest run chases.

The Dunner stunner was a big result in more ways than one, the one-run victory pushing Canterbury to the top of the table - just two points ahead of the Aces now after the back half business began.

Scott Janett landed on the winning side, after a maiden century on one-day debut - but it was utter heartbreak for Llew Johnson after his own first Ford Trophy ton in the chase.

The match also marked umpire Wayne Knights' return to the field since suffering a broken arm in the Dream11 Super Smash.

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When Volts captain Max Chu and Canterbury skipper Cole McConchie shook hands at the toss on an overcast Otago Waitangi Day morning, little did anyone realise quite how many emotions would go through the wringer before they finally did the same at the end of the day.

By then, 20-year-old Scott Janett would have his first century for Canterbury - to go with the 20-year-old's first-class 93 earlier in his first Domestic season.

And, Llew Johnson had just matched him, pretty much run for run - until a last-over calamity left his own maiden ton with a bitter aftertaste after some last-ditch heroics from Zak Foulkes with the ball.

Canterbury had set the hosts a steep 323-run chase, and the Otago Volts almost got there.

Both the century men scored exactly 115 to top-score for their respective teams, and both sides finished seven wickets down.

But there was one crucial run of difference.

A total of 643 runs had been plundered at University of Otago Oval over the day, but it was a last-ball heartbreaker for the hosts after Foulkes put himself on a hat-trick with the wickets of Johnson and Ben Lockrose off the third-to-last and second-to-last deliveries of the game. 

Johnson had just belted him for a last-over six, and the Volts had needed just three runs off the last three balls of the game.

But that was before fighter Foulkes’s last-minute intervention, and when Andrew Hazeldine could scramble just a leg bye off the final ball, Canterbury had snatched the dramatic victory by a mere run to go top of the table.

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Earlier, Janett had underpinned a good top order batting effort as he steadily grew in confidence against an unlucky Volts attack.

Both openers produced their best List A scores yet, Rhys Mariu reaching 44 in his seventh match, in their 124-run opening stand.

The Volts already were in for a long day, having to wait until the 25th over to break the partnership - Mariu's elusive half ton denied by spinner Lockrose who trapped him plumb.

Matt Boyle had just completed the Dream11 Super Smash as the men's top run scorer in a breakthrough summer, an he carried that form into the 50-over format with a quick 32 at first drop.

Matt Hay contributed a half century and skipper McConchie an unbeaten 48* as Canterbury amped up their run rate as the overs melted away.

The Volts were without their influential senior pro Jacob Duffy who had once again been called into the BLACKCAPS (Champions Trophy), but the vacancy offered Central Otago's young Mason Clarke (0/28 off six) an opportunity to open the attack in his first one-dayer for the team.

Matt Bacon enjoyed his work and earned four wickets, stopping both Boyle and Hay. But 322/7 runs were on the board for Canterbury, and there would prove to be no margin for error.

With Fraser Sheat (3/39) and Foulkes opening the Canterbury attack, Dale Phillips was an early loss at 14/1, the first of Sheat's wickets.

But a good partnership of 70 between Johnson and opener Jamal Todd got the Volts humming. They tracked close to Canterbury's run rate, before a big escalation at the death from Johnson almost got them home.

He had support from just about everyone in the order, adding 56 with Dean Foxcroft for the third wicket and 78 with Leo Carter for the fourth.

Canterbury's Sheat fought back to stop Carter on 42 and, with just under 10 overs to go, the pendulum was swinging back to visitors after he has Chu caught and bowled cheaply.

But Volts allrounder Jake Gibson strode in to smack a clutch half century for his team in the last segment, finishing unbeaten on 55* off just 22 balls.

He'd belted three sixes, along with five fours, as the Volts went for it, and matched the seemingly effortless swing of Johnson's bat as he took himself to five sixes and six boundaries in his maiden century knock.

The three figures had come off 109 balls, in the 47th over - as he belted former teammate Michael Rae back over his head.

But it was Rae who would come back with a crucially tight response, conceding just four singles off the 49th.

It set the stage of the dramatic last over from Foulkes, who had Johnson caught by Boyle off a desperate larrop.

Lockrose then departed first ball, in almost identical fashion, also caught by Boyle on the leg-side. Foulkes was suddenly on a hat-trick and while that might have been the icing on the cake, the focus was fully on the win.

The cool-headed young BLACKCAP closed it out with a yorker to Andrew Hazeldine as the Volts' heartbreak sunk in. So close, so far and four points gone begging.

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