Super Smash 2021-22 | Match Review | Sean Solia's lionhearted knock takes Auckland over the line!
Auckland Aces vs Otago Volts | Match 23 Preview, Predictions, Fantasy XI
Wellington Firebirds vs Otago Volts | Match 19 Preview, Predictions, Fantasy XI
Otago Volts vs Auckland Aces | Match 16 Preview, Predictions, Fantasy XI
On Wednesday, December 29, Otago Volts will face Auckland Aces, at the John Davies Oval in Queenstown, in the 16th clash of the league.
Ford Trophy 2021-22 | Matthew Bacon, Josh Finnie star in Otago win over defending champions Canterbury
It has been a nice week for the Otago side as after registering a victory in the Super Smash 2021-22 against Northern Knights on Sunday, December 12, they defeated defending champions Canterbury in the Ford Trophy 2021-22 to register their first win in the tournament. Otago rode on the bowling performance from Matthew Bacon who picked a four-wicket haul and then backed it up from an unbeaten fifty from Josh Finny to finish the 50 over match in only the 43rd over. Along with Finnie, skipper Neil Broom and Dale Phillips also played good hands with the bat to help in the chase. The chase of 223 started cautiously for the hosts at the University Oval in Dunedin as openers Hamish Rutherford and Phillips added 48 for the first wicket and made sure that early overs of swing was negotiated. Phillips continued t hang around with skipper Broom who joined him after Rutherford was caught by Cam Fletcher off the bowling of Will Williams. The duo had added 36 before Phillips was removed by Henry Shipley. Soon Nick Kelly followed and Otago were suddenly 87-3. It was then that Finney arrived and partnered his captain to a 95 run stand. During this partnership, Broom reached his fifty. But as he got out, Anaru Kitchen followed him as well, once again two wickets fell in a bunch. But Finnie, who was well settled at the crease at 60 off 53 balls, made sure that there were no more casualties and an unbeaten 38 run stand with Michael Rippon saw his team through. Earlier in the day, after winning the toss and deciding to field first, Otago broke early and got the wicket of Jock Boyle, who was removed by Matthew Bacon. Instead of getting back in grooves and playing cautiously, the Canterbury batters kept trying to play wayward shots and kept getting out, ultimately getting reduced to 90-6, before Henry Shipley paired up with Theo van Woerkom and the two added 96 for the seventh wicket to add some respectability to the Canterbury innings. However, that stand was eventually broken by Bacon who then went on to pick four wickets in the entire game. Post the van Woerkom wicket, Shipley too departed after completing his fifty (55 off 67). Shipley was also the highest scorer in the Canterbury innings. In the end, the team got all out on 222 in the 50th over. Apart from Bacon’s four wickets, Kitchen picked three and Jacob Duffy two for Otago.
Super Smash | Anurag Verma’s superb penultimate over in vain as Chu and McKenzie take Otago over the line
It was a riveting Super Smash 2021-22 encounter at the University Oval in Dunedin between the Northern Knights and home side Otago Volts as the latter emerged victorious in the last over with only three wickets to spare. Max Chu, the wicket-keeper batter and Angus McKenzie, a bowler who came to bat at number nine turned out to be the heroes even as experienced Neil Broom made a sincere effort with the bat, but was before finishing the job. It was Chu and McKenzie who kept their nerves and hit Scott Kuggeleijn, one of the most sought after T20 bowlers for two sixes in the last over when Volts required 10 to win off six balls. However, before that fateful over, Anurag Verma, the tall and slim fast bowler from Hamilton nearly won the Knights this game with his brilliant 19th over in which he gave only four runs and took key wickets of Michael Rippon and well-settled Broom, who was batting on 62 and looking to get his team over the line. In the previous over (18th) too, only four runs were conceded by Matthew Fisher and the wicket Llew Johnson was also taken to build the pressure on the Volts. The Volts didn’t really have a good start to the chase as they lost Hamish Rutherford and Josh Finnie early on. It was then that Anaru Kitchen got together with Broom and the duo added 45 for the third wicket. Though Kitchen departed, Broom continued to anchor the innings and found support in Llew Johnson. The pair added 46th for the fifth wicket as Broom also completed his fifty on the way. For Knights, apart from Verma’s two wickets, Fisher and Frederick Walker picked two each as well. Among these three bowlers, they conceded only 66 runs in their 12 overs while defending 146. However, Kugglein was the most expensive, giving away 51 runs in just 3.4 overs. Earlier in the day, Otago won the toss and asked Knights to bat first. Katene Clarke and Tim Seifert gave the team a rocking start, reaching 39 in the first four overs before Seifert was eventually removed. From there on it became difficult for Clarke to find support even though Henry Cooper made run a ball 24. Both of them getting out together didn’t help the cause of the team from the north. From 95-2, they were suddenly 95-4 with two completely new men at the crease. If it wasn’t for Verma and Kugglein’s run a ball 22 and 14 respectively, even reaching 146 would have been difficult for the Knights as they were reduced to 104-6 in the 14th over. For Otago, Josh Finnie and Michael Rippon picked two wickets each while Kitchen was economical to the core, giving away only 19 runs in his four overs and taking the wicket of Jeet Raval. This was Otago’s first win in the competition having lost one game and one match being washed out. For Knights, they are still to register a win as they have lost one game and one match has been washed out.