Otago still in with slim chance of playoff spot

THE Otago Volts are in with a sniff, albeit a small one, of making the playoffs of the Super Smash.

With the competition going into its second month, the Volts have three games of the regular season left to play and sit three wins behind the thirdplaced team.

The side plays Canterbury on Saturday, Auckland next Monday and the Northern Knights on Waitangi Day.

If the side won all those games, it would increase from eight points to 20 points.

Central and Canterbury both sit on 20 points, tied for second, with Central second on a superior run rate.

Both of these sides have two games left and will play each other.

If Otago can win its remaining three games and then either Canterbury and Central loses both of its matches then Otago can make it to 20 points.

Northern sits on 12 points and would have to win both its matches to get in the picture.

It is something of a stretch to give Otago a decent chance, especially as Canterbury takes on Central at McLean Park on February 5.

The victor of this game moves to to 24 points and cannot be caught by either Otago or the Northern Knights.

When teams are tied on points the placing is decided on run rate and it is here where Otago is again at a distinct disadvantage.

It sits on a negative net run rate of .99.

A team's net run rate is calculated by deducting from the average runs per over scored by that team throughout the competition from the average runs per over scored against that team throughout the competition.

Central and Canterbury have positive net run rates.

Wellington sits top of the table on 24 points and has Central and Auckland left to play.

It will want to finish as top qualifier as the top side goes straight through to the final

The competition will finish on February 13, which is nearly a month later than last year.

This year’s competition did not start until after Christmas and is different from the past few seasons in that only one game in each of the men’s and women’s competition is being played each day with few games during the week.

That is lengthening the season out but with the Black Caps and White Ferns available the competition is enjoying some profile.