Cricket: Knights run down by Volts

Dean Brownlie's fine innnings of 61 proved not to be enough against the Otago Volts at Bay Oval today. Photo/George Novak

The Northern Knights have been run down like a dog in the street at Bay Oval in a high quality game of limited overs cricket.

The action went down to the final over, with the Volts requiring nine runs to eclipse the Knights' fine score of 308/8.

The visitors needed just three balls to get the job done through youngster Josh Finnie after Michael Bracewell's remarkable 83 from just 48 balls turned the match on its head.

The Volts got fine contributions from openers Aaron Redmond (64) and Sam Wells (93), who put on 134 for the first wicket to set up the perfectly timed pursuit.

Earlier, the Knights' formidible total was built in traditional fashion, with fireworks in the opening and closing ten over stints separated by a gradual process of clever accumulation.

The innings sparked into life when skipper Daniel Flynn joined Dean Brownlie at the loss of the first wicket, triggering a rapid partnership that set the Knights on their way.

Flynn was run out but Brownlie continued on, notching 61 before handing duties over to Mitchell Santner and Daryl Mitchell.

Santner took up much of the slack with a run-a-ball 45 before Mitchell, who finished not out on 100 even, took up the attack.

His century came off 98 balls and looked likely to be enough with the Volts still requiring more than 10 runs per over with five remaining, but the Volts began their run at just the right time.

More than 600 runs were scored in 100 overs of play - proof the Bay Oval surface continues to produce fine games of cricket.

Scorecard:
Northern Knights
AP Devcich lbw b JA Duffy 2
DG Brownlie b JA Duffy 66
DR Flynn run out (SR Wells) 24
DJ Mitchell not out 100
CJ Anderson c DC de Boorder b JA Duffy 6
MJ Santner c IA Robertson b NL McCullum 45
TL Seifert run out (JL Finnie/DC de Boorder) 25
SC Kuggeleijn c AJ Redmond b JA Duffy 0
IS Sodhi c DC de Boorder b SR Wells 8
JJ Boult not out 12
Extras (b 4, lb 9, wd 7, nb 0) 20
Total (for 8 wickets, 50.0 overs) 308
Fall: 1-9 (AP Devcich, 3.3), 2-70 (DR Flynn, 11.3), 3-131 (DG Brownlie, 23.4), 4-139 (CJ Anderson, 25.1), 5-217 (MJ Santner, 38.6), 6-267 (TL Seifert, 44.6), 7-272 (SC Kuggeleijn, 45.4), 8-281 (IS Sodhi, 46.5)
Bowling: N Wagner 10-0-72-0, JA Duffy 10-0-64-4, SR Wells 10-1-37-1, JM McMillan 7-0-43-0, NL McCullum 10-0-50-1, JL Finnie 3-0-29-0.

Otago Volts
AJ Redmond c DG Brownlie b IS Sodhi 64
SR Wells c A Verma b IS Sodhi 93
MG Bracewell c DJ Mitchell b SC Kuggeleijn 83
NL McCullum c DJ Mitchell b IS Sodhi 5
DC de Boorder not out 25
IA Robertson c DJ Mitchell b MJ Santner 7
JL Finnie not out 18
Extras (b 4, lb 3, wd 6, nb 1) 14
Total (for 5 wickets, 49.3 overs) 309
Fall: 1-134 (AJ Redmond, 27.5), 2-245 (MG Bracewell, 40.6), 3-247 (SR Wells, 41.5), 4-267 (NL McCullum, 45.3), 5-282 (IA Robertson, 47.2)
Bowling: SC Kuggeleijn 7.3-0-51-1 (2w, 1nb), A Verma 7-0-37-0, MJ Santner 10-0-60-1, IS Sodhi 10-0-48-3, CJ Anderson 5-0-35-0, JJ Boult 10-0-71-0.