Kitchen inspires Volts to first win
A compelling all-round performance from Black Cap Anaru Kitchen lifted the Otago Volts to their first Twenty20 cricket win of the season and dealt a blow to the Central Stags’ playoff hopes.
Kitchen, fresh from his T20 international debut series against West Indies, took 3-24 with his leftarm spin then blasted 34 off 22 balls with the bat as the Volts beat the Stags by three wickets in New Plymouth on Saturday.
Chasing 148 to win at Pukekura Park, the Volts won with 10 balls to spare after 43 off 41 from opener Rob Nicol, Kitchen’s power hitting and a crucial 20 off 13 from Derek de Boorder with the chase wobbling a fraction.
Remarkably it was the Volts’ first win in their eighth match of the competition while for the Stags, top qualifiers and beaten finalists last year, defeat put them under pressure.
With three matches to play they sit six points behind third-placed Wellington Firebirds, who face Canterbury Kings in Christchurch on Sunday. Only the top-three qualify for the playoffs.
Another returning Black Cap, Seth Rance, had a whale of a game for the Stags but couldn’t guide
them home.
He topscored with 42 off 15 balls then was on a hat-trick in the Volts’ chase after removing Neil Broom (22) and Shawn Hicks (0) in successive deliveries. Rance ended with 3-33.
The Stags chose to bat first on familiar turf but were struggling badly after losing key men Jesse Ryder, Will Young and Tom Bruce to single-figure scores, slumping to 30-4 in the seventh over.
At 81-7 in the 16th it looked a challenge to pass 100 before Black Caps Rance and Ben Wheeler teamed up to open the shoulders.
The pair added 52 off 21 balls with Rance launching three sixes as test frontliner Neil Wagner took some stick in his 2-44 off four overs.
Wheeler cleared the rope twice in his unbeaten 32 off 26 and the Stags at least had something to bowl at.