2024/25
ROUND SIX
OTAGO VOLTS beat CENTRAL STAGS by 70 runs
Molyneux Park, Alexandra
13-16 March 2025
POINTS IN THIS ROUND:
Otago Volts: 17
Central Stags: 5
Wellington Firebirds: 20
Canterbury: 3
Auckland Aces: 7
Northern Districts: 8
SELECTED MILESTONES
Tom O'Connor: first-class debut*
*Otago had two young Tom O'Connors playing for Otago A this season; the debutant in this match is Tom C. O'Connor, son of former BLACKCAP Shayne O'Connor and brother of NZ U19 rep Hannah O'Connor
Jacob Cumming: career best first-class score (62)
Travis Muller: 200 first-class career wickets
Josh Clarkson: third first-class century
Jayden Lennox: maiden five-wicket bag (5/66)
Tyler Annand: first-class career best score (46)
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SNAPSHOT:
The Otago Volts were getting very hungry for their first win in the Plunket Shield this season - destined to finish down the ladder after no wins from the first five rounds, but finally catching a break in Central.
The Volts had won just one match in each of the two previous first-class seasons, meanwhile injury-hit visitors the Stags had surged back from a sometimes frustrating first half of their campaign to dominate the Auckland Aces big-time in the previous round, albeit running out of time to get the outright points they had desired.
Would the deck at Alexandra's Molyneux Park deliver the goods, this time, for one or the other?
DAY ONE
Tom Bruce won toss and bowled after a 15-minute ground delay, all captains around the country doing the same in the long, hot summer where the decks were becoming flat quickly.
Dean Foxcroft, having retired as the Volts' captain ahead of this season to refocus on his batting and bowling, now found himself captaining once more, after the Volts had lost not one, but two captains to injury - Luke Georgeson having re-injured himself, and Max Chu out for the rest of the season with surgery.
The hosts had 20-year old Tom O'Connor on debut (not to be confused with the other young Tom O'Connor who had also represented Otago A this season). This one was the son of BLACKCAP Shayne O'Connor and a pace bowler like his father - who was serenditously right on hand to watch as NZC Match Referee.
Another relative youngster and "son-of", Jacob Cumming, gave the hosts some solidity at the top with a new career-best, patient three-hour knock.
The Stags' attack was meanwhile now without some big names: injured senior pacemen Blair Tickner, Brett Randell, premier spinner Ajaz Patel and uncontracted former top allrounder Doug Bracewell - who had not been called upon in any format during the season.
The Volts made the most of that and strung their partnerships together to make good headway on the opening day.
A lightning throw from Angus Schaw cost number Llew Johnson his wicket on 46 but, with a good record against Central, including his maiden century in this format, Thorn Parkes looked to be the thorn in Central's side once again, reaching an unbeaten 74* by stumps.
He and ex-Northlander Brad Kneebone had shared a 58*-run stand for the sixth wicket to take Otago to a promising 305/6 by stumps.
DAY TWO
Chopping on against strapping youngster Tyler Annand on 85, Parkes was a big wicket for the Stags early in the first session of the day, and they knew it.
By lunch, it would be their turn to bat, replying to the Volts' first innings tally of 390/7 declared.
But after surviving the seven overs before the food was served, Central quickly got into a spot of bother after lunch.
Brad Schmulian was run out cheaply by a brilliant piece of running, diving, rolling work from Foxcroft, and Will Clark's elevation to first drop had not gone well.
Then Volts debutant O'Connor picked up Curtis Heaphy (33) as his maiden wicket, and captain Bruce departed cheaply off the very next over at 87/4 in a huge moment for the Volts.
By stumps, the Stags had recovered to 166/4 for no further loss, thanks to a brisk, unbeaten 49* from allrounder Josh Clarkson, batting with form horse Dane Cleaver.
The Stags would begin the third morning still 224 runs in arrears, but with six first-innings wickets still in hand.
DAY THREE
The Volts had had the better of the match for the first couple of days, after having been sent in, but Day Three was a good one for the Stags with both bat and ball as they hauled themselved back into the contest with some concerted, watchful application.
Allrounder Josh Clarkson was coming off a career-best 166* in Auckland in the previous match - just his second first-class century, and third in any format for his side.
Now he made it two in two innings, backing up with a more patient 104 off 178 balls, including a dozen boundaries and two sixes.
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His partnership with Dane Cleaver (83) reached 187.
It dwarfed the rest of the contributions as captain Tom Bruce declared behind at 300/6, just as soon as his team had reached their third batting bonus point, with time marching on in the flat conditions.
The last session would be a special one for Stags left-arm off-spinner Jayden Lennox.
Now his team's senior spinner as a knee injury kept BLACKCAP Ajaz Patel sidelined, he put Central well and truly back in the fight.
Lennox claimed five wickets in the session, and it was his maiden five-for in any format for the Stags.
All of them were caught as the Volts tried to lash out at him. Lennox headed back in on 5/59 overnight, the Volts nine down by now, with an overall lead of 293 runs.
The Stags spinners had claimed all but the first wicket to fall, Angus Schaw 1/50 and Brad Schmulian 2/5 overnight, after a late fillip from the leggie; meanwhile the Volts' innings had simply crumbled away after a half century at the top from Dale Phillips (52).
The hosts would resume on the precipice, at 203/9.
DAY FOUR
Down to his last pair (who nevertheless produced 20 runs each), and conscious that time was ticking on if he was to bowl the visitors out (after a further 15-minute dew delay on the last morning), captain Foxcroft declared nine down, setting the Stags a target of 325 in just under three sessions.
Spinners had ultimately taken all but one of the Otago wickets to fall, now it was pace back on display and centre stage as Central made a scratchy start to their mission.
By lunch, they were three down. With a longer tail than usual, that added to the pressure on the incumbent batters, opener Heaphy and form batter Cleaver.
Matt Bacon had made the opening breakthrough early, then Travis Muller had got both Clark and the prize wicket of Bruce, off his following over, as Bruce chopped on for just one run, gone cheaply again at 39/3.
The otherwise prolific Stags skipper was Muller's 200th first-class victim.
After that lively morning session, the Stags still needed a chunky 249 runs after lunch: effectively four runs an over. That was a tougher equation, given their tail.
Foxcroft struck a big blow at 109/4 as the attractive Heaphy was scooped up at slip, just shy of a half century.
The Volts kept the pressure on as Clarkson fell to Foxcroft, too, and by tea things were looking bright for the hosts as they dared to eye up a first win.
Central needed only a further 157 runs themselves, but they were six down now, with Cleaver the last recognised batter on 61* - and Lennox needing to dig in to help him stay there.
It all turned to custard fairly quickly for the Stags, after Lennox gamely played a reverse sweep off Phillips through a cluster of close fielders, only to pick out Jarrod McKay, further out.
Then youngster Toby Findlay was caught behind off the next over, off (former Stag) McKay himself, to have Central eight down and still in triple-figure arrears.
The Volts could taste it, now, that elusive victory.
But the Stags showed they had fight left in them, with the ninth wicket pairing of Cleaver and the young Annand proving quite the combination.
After three matches, 20-year-old Annand's best score in the tail has been just 10, but now the NZ Indoor Cricket rep smashed eight boundaries and a six to blast 46 off just 37 balls.
He and Cleaver raced to a stand of 72 off just 64 balls, before another ex-Stag in Foxcroft got his fourth of the innings, trapping Annand.
Cleaver would find one last six to take himself to the brink of a third hundred in the first-class season, but a runout at the bowlers' end as Ray Toole tried to scramble back to his ground saw the keeper-batter left stranded on 98*.
The Volts had their win, by 70 runs.
