Aces fall to defeat in Dunedin

Monday, 18 February 2013

The Otago Volts juggernaut just keeps on trucking. Yesterday the Volts added yet another win to their tally when they beat Auckland at the University Oval in their four-day Plunket Shield clash.

You have to flick back to November last year to find a game that the Volts lost.

It highlights just what remarkable things have been done by this southern side this season as they look to add the Plunket Shield title next to the HRV Cup Twenty20 crown they already have banked.

They have gone 10 Twenty20 games and five Plunket Shield games since they last lost.

Individually they also continue to do things that raise eyebrows and stun. This time, against Auckland, it was spinner Nick Beard who was used as a nightwatchman in the Volts' first innings. The usual tailender scored 188 as the Volts racked up 569 for eight in reply to Auckland's 221 all out.

Along with Neil Broom, Beard wrote his name in Otago's record books when the pair put on 239 for the fourth wicket on Friday.

The stand eclipsed the fourth- wicket stand by Southlanders Kevin Burns and Richard Hoskin who put on 235 playing for Otago against Northern Districts in Hamilton in 1988.

In Auckland's second innings, which spanned over Saturday and yesterday, they got through to a more respectable 351, with Gareth Hopkins (74) and Craig Cachopa (81) leading the way, but the damage had already been done.

It only required the Volts to get four runs in their second innings and Aaron Redmond took just one ball to do it, hitting Colin de Grandhomme for a boundary.

The win sets up an interesting final round.

Central Districts still sit top of the table after they beat Canterbury. A good performance in their final game against Northern will see their name etched on the trophy.

However if they falter it will leave a opening for the in-form Volts to pounce by beating Wellington with maximum points to head to the top.

Full scorecard

(courtesy of Fairfax media www.stuff.co.nz)