A century from opener Brad Wilson and fifties from Shawn Hicks and Anaru Kitchen were in vain as Otago suffered a 25-run defeat against Northern Districts in their pursuit of 344. The key performer for Northern Districts, in their first win of the tournament this season, was legspinner Ish Sodhi, who finished with nine wickets in the match, including a five-for in the second innings.
Otago had resumed on the fourth morning at 15 for 0, and two early strikes by Sodhi reduced them to 47 for 3. A 142-run fourth-wicket partnership between Wilson and Hicks revived Otago but Sodhi and Anton Devcich quashed any chances Otago may have had with a series of quick wickets. The batting side went from 189 for 3 to 205 for 7, with Devcich claiming the big wickets of Hicks and Wilson, who had compiled 111 off 228 balls. The remaining 139 runs were too much for Otago's tail-enders, despite a 62-run partnership between Kitchen (69 not out off 91 balls) and Nathan Smith.
Earlier in the match, Sodhi's 4 for 75 had complemented fast bowler Brent Arnel's 5 for 76, as Northern Districts dismissed Otago for 248 to take a 208-run first-innings lead. Otago batsmen got starts, with Hamish Rutherford (67) and Derek de Boorder (55) going on to make fifties, but Northern Districts kept the pressure by not allowing partnerships to flourish.
The 208-run lead meant that Northern Districts held an edge in the match, despite a second-innings batting collapse that saw them declare their innings at 135 for 9. Only three batsmen made a score in excess of 20, while the nine wickets were picked up by fast bowler Jacob Duffy (5-49) and left-arm wristspinner Michael Rippon (4-30).
Northern Districts' first-innings batting display was far more dominant, despite a middle-order stutter. Their score of 456 was underpinned by wicketkeeper Tim Seifert's third first-class hundred - an unbeaten 167 that lifted the side from 198 for 5. Seifert had support from Daryl Mitchell (60) and shared a seventh-wicket stand of 116 with Ish Sodhi (48), before he took the lead in a tenth-wicket stand of 57 that took the side past 450.
