Otago slide makes happy Knights
Otago squandered a potential position of dominance against the Northern Knights by losing their last five wickets for 13 in seven overs as James Baker (5-63) and Scott Kuggeleijn wrapped up the innings for 298 in their Plunket Shield match in Whangarei.
The slide started on the fourth ball of the day when Baker dismissed Josh Finnie, while captain Brad Wilson was only able to add three to his overnight 123 before an abrupt end to what had been a promising batting effort on Cobham Oval.
The Knights then made strokeplay look relatively troublefree again, especially Bharat Popli who continued his rich vein of form with his seventh half century of a record-breaking season.
Starting the final round with an aggregate of 1060 at 66.25 – the fourth highest domestic haul in a season – the Indian-born right hander crafted a patient 89 from 216 balls to overtake Jeff Crowe and now sit behind Martin Crowe (1348 for CD in 1986-87) and Zimbabwean-born English international Graham Hick, who tallied 1228 for ND in 1988-89.
Popli looked on track for his fourth hundred of the season but was caught at the wicket off Jimmy Neesham to break a 199-run stand with BJ Watling.
The Black Caps gloveman was unbeaten on 113 from 244 balls at stumps with the Knights just 47 in arrears on 251-3.
Ben Smith also reached three figures – for the fifth time in his first class career – as the Central Stags tried to prevent Auckland ending their most successful campaign since 2008-09 unbeaten.
Smith was unbeaten on 126 as the Stags zeroed in on Auckland’s 396 at McLean Park in Napier.
In the Basin Reserve, Canterbury maintained their stranglehold over Wellington in the quest to finish runners-up to Auckland with another dominant performance.
At the midway point of the final round clash Wellington are likely to be overhauled by the former champions after Canterbury captain Peter Fulton enforced the follow-on.
Trailing by 229 after mustering only 201 in their first innings, Wellington were 55-2 at stumps with Luke Woodcock and Michael Pollard at the crease, tasked with ensuring Canterbury are at least set a target.