Wellington v Otago – HRV Cup, 2012/13 – Match Update – de Boorder guides Otago to 12-run win
A half-ton from wicketkeeper skipper Derek de Boorder took the Otago Volts to a 12-run win over the Wellington Firebirds, in their match during the ongoing HRV Cup, played today on January 11 at the Basin Reserve in Wellington.
The game commenced with Otago winning the toss and choosing to bat first. Wellington put forth a mediocre performance, with 5 bowlers out of the 6-man attack managing to pick up one wicket each, and the visitors maintained a firm upper-hand owing to the
heroics of their skipper.
Opener Neil Broom (13) was insipid, but Hamish Rutherford (32) managed to stick it out at the crease for a while, and teamed up with de Boorder (67) to get the team up to 64, after which Rutherford was sent packing by Luke Woodcock.
Nathan McCullum (14) and Michael Bracewell (21) were the only other batsmen who reached double figures, but the Volts never appeared at a disadvantage, courtesy their skipper. Despite the insipid performances of Ryan ten Doeschate (9), and Jimmy Neesham
(8*), de Boorder held firm, and only fell on the second-last ball of the final over. By the end of 20 overs, with 6 wickets down, the Otago Volts posted a steady final total of 170.
The visiting team then followed it up with a solid bowling display, which saw Jimmy Neesham (4-0-26-2) leading the charge, while James Fuller, Jacob Duffy, Nathan McCullum, and Nick Beard all picked up one scalp each.
Opening batsman Tamim Iqbal top-scored for the Firebirds with 41 off 38, but he was unable to find any consistent batsmen to partner with. Fellow top-order batsmen Jesse Ryder (6) and Michael Papps (1) gave their wickets away without putting up a fight,
and Iqbal eventually found himself walking back to the pavilion in the 12th over, leaving the team at 65 for 3.
Cameron Borgas (35), Luke Ronchi (20), and skipper Grant Elliott (36) all managed to chip in with decent scores, but their efforts did not prove enough in the end. One by one, the home team’s batsmen ended up succumbing to the Volts’ bowling attack, and
by the end of 20 overs, with 6 wickets down, Wellington found themselves cut off at 158, with Otago going on to clinch a 12-run win.