Otago's success in taking the first innings points proved invaluable. With the abandonment of play, it secured the four points from the game and took an 8-4 points lead in the Southern Zone competition, which has two games to be played, in Ashburton on Friday, and Westport on Sunday.

Otago did well to pass a solid Canterbury total, especially when without Chris Gaffaney, the star of the game the day before in Gore. Andrew Hore's good form in club cricket was reflected in the early part of the innings while Lee Germon showed he was well on the way to making a significant impact for the side in the latter part of this series and in future commitments for the side.

Craig Cumming's form was welcome after some disappointment in Gore and the sight of Karl O'Dowda guiding the side to victory with a controlled innings was a hint of the role he might have in the Shell Cup later in the summer.

Canterbury enjoyed a profitable assault when Warren Wisneski was at the crease and there's no doubt when he gets cracking from the outset the impetus is well and truly applied to the innings. With some hard-hitting players further down the order like Darren Reekers, Cleighten Cornelius and Stephen Cunis there is a hint that a huge score is not far away for Canterbury, but it needs to produce the goods soon.

It's not really fair being a bowler in these games, but for the bowler's who get their length right the rewards are to be had and Otago's Kerry Walmsley, who conceded only one run in the ninth over of the Canterbury innings, and Canterbury's left-arm spinner Danny Bulman, who was sitting on a hat-trick, showed rewards could be had.

The pressure goes on Otago in the last two games, as it will be without Walmsley, who is off to South Africa.

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