ROUND ONE
OTAGO VOLTS defeated AUCKLAND ACES by 42 runs
Queen's Park, Invercargill
25 November 2023
Otago Volts: 4 points
Selected milestones
Sean Solia - List A captaincy debut
Cam Fletcher - Auckland Aces List A debut (previously ND and Canterbury)
Dale Phillips - maiden List A century
Matt Bacon - maiden List A five-wicket bag
PHOTOSPORT
The Otago Volts made the most of their first match at Queen's Park for five years - taking a win off a good team with a proud recent record in The Ford Trophy, the hosts with a maiden century and a maiden bag for good measure.
The century came from Dale Phillips at four after his side had been sent in by new Aces skipper Sean Solia - who had continued with the reins after standing in for Robbie O'Donnell in the last Plunket Shield round, even though O'Donnell had now come back from injury.
Also back was Volts captain Dean Foxcroft and former Volts captain Hamish Rutherford who marked his first knock of the season with 44 at the top, in a healthy 80-run platform for the first wicket with Luke Georgeson.
The Aces were made to wait until the 15th over to get a breakthrough, and those did not come quickly enough for their liking thereafter.
Phillips and Thorn Parkes combined for a 128-run fourth wicket stand that tore any momentum at all away from the visitors, both men galloping to their half tons at almost run-a-ball and Phillips the younger going on to his maiden List A one-day century off 94 balls, to sit alongside his four first-class tons.
Phillips had been in good knick in the red-ball and carried that form straight into the pyjama cricket as the Volts put a 300-plus total on the board.
The Aces were tasked with a fair chase of 303, and gave it a good crack to start with - before the terror Matt Bacon fired up and got started on a match-winning five-wicket bag.
PHOTOSPORT
The big wicket was Will O'Donnell who had reached 83 at first drop before Bacon smashed through his castle after the big Aucklander had danced down the wicket to him.
O'Donnell had long since picked up his first in George Worker, the Volts were hungry for a wicket, and now had the Aces 155/3 at the critical juncture a.k.a. the 30-over mark.
The Aces were meanwhile quite well on track, but breaking the century stand between the O'Donnell brothers proved the turning point as they slid off that track.
A brilliant throw from Llew Johnson ran out Cam Fletcher on his long-awaited Aces white-ball debut at 181/5, and once Bacon got a sniff at the tail, the Aces were under big pressure.
Bacon wrapped it up in the 45th over with the final wicket to clinch a bag of 5/38 off his 8.5 overs and the Volts were the toast of Invercargill once more.
