Day four: Otago Volts 93d and 283 (Jesse Ryder 80, Nathan McCullum 55,
Graeme Aldridge 4-50, Daniel Vettori 3-73), SKYCITY Northern Knights 223 & 124 (Daniel Flynn 29, James Neesham 5-65), match drawn.
Despite a late charge for victory from the Northern Knights, the spoils were shared with the Otago Volts at Cobham Oval after an entertaining day's play. The Volts now sit second on the Plunket Shield table, with the Knights in fourth position of the four teams fighting it out at this stage of the season.
Resuming at 44-1 in bright sunshine that had been nowhere to be seen for the first two days, the Volts worked toward building a total. Ryan Duffy and Jesse Ryder put on 103 for the third wicket, and after Vettori snagged Sam Wells for a golden duck, Nathan McCullum put on 92 with Ryder (who finished on 80) for the fifth. James Neesham (34 from 30) and Derek de Boorder (23 from 38) swung the bat to ice the innings before the tail was cleaned up, leaving Northern 154 from 22 overs for the win.
The Knights went about the chase positively, but after Brad Wilson was run out, Neesham went on a wicket spree, accounting for Flynn (29) then most of the middle order. The wickets meant the Knights were always just behind where they wanted to be, and they finished 30 runs short of their target. The two sides put on two great day's cricket after losing the first two to rain, and will take positives from the performances here.
Day three: Otago Volts 93d (Neil Broom 22, Scott Kuggeleijn 3-26, Graeme Aldridge 2-31 and 44-1 trail the SKYCITY Northern Knights 221 (Brad Wilson 64 Daniel Flynn 78) by 86 runs.
After two days of watching the rain fall, the Otago Volts and SKYCITY Northern Knights were keen to make the most of their time in the middle in Whangerei.
The Knights won the toss and inserted the Volts and Scott Kuggeleijn (3-26) and Graeme Aldridge (2-31) immediately set about making inroads into the southern men's line-up. Neil Broom made 22, Jesse Ryder 21 and Ryan Duffy 17 - but when the Volts reached 93 Derek de Boorder called his men in, in a declaration timed to make the Knights openers face two overs before the break.
Brad Wilson (64 from 108) and Daniel Flynn (78 from 97) got into the spirit of the day, putting on 133 for the first wicket in 29 overs. Daryl Mitchell and Anton Devcich helped the Knights reach 223-8 in 51.5 overs, before Flynn made his own declaration with his side 130 ahead. Mark Craig was the destroyer picking up 3 for 51, with Blair Soper, James McMillan and James Neesham taking one wicket each.
Aldridge picked up Neil Broom in the evening session as Otago reached 1 for 44 in the 17 overs possible. It had been a whirlwind day, and with rain forecast and both sides equal top as it stands, day four could be either a ripper or a damp squib.
