Mark Wilson batted number four on Saturday, but by the end of his innings was number two by one.
Wilson played an innings-defining knock of 71 to move past Chris Taylor to number two on Union Cricket Club's all-time runs list, as Union beat St Kevin's College 1st XI by 144 runs at King George Park.
The 34-year-old left-hander has scored 4523 runs since 1986 on the South Hill, now one ahead of Taylor, but still has much work to do about catching all-time leader Russell Payne with 9105 runs. "It's a fair way off, Payne's held it for a long time. You never say never, but it's a big ask" Wilson said, who has a senior cricket average of 29.37 to Taylor's 27.74 and Payne's 27.34.
"It's a challenge and would be an absolute honour to get anywhere near him. We look up to him a lot at the club and there's a hell of a lot of respect for him"
Wilson has been absent from the Union line-up the past two seasons after choosing to put his sporting time into coaching the Old Boys senior rugby team. He has played four of the six matches this season and said he intends to step aside and give young talent an opportunity during the upcoming holiday Twenty20 competition before returning for the Borton Cup rounds in February.
"Hopefully the depth in North Otago cricket comes through and they won't need old guys like me. But hopefully I can play cricket as long as possible."
Wilsons 71 - coupled with 66 from Jason Todd, 48 from Duncan Drew and 41 extras off SKC bowlers - powered Union to 263-7 from 45 overs, the first 250-plus total in North Otago senior cricket this season.
Wilson's innings included 50 runs in boundaries from five fours and five sixes, while Todd hit 10 fours, and Drew nine fours as SKC's bowling force struggled without Ross Graham and Robbie Smith.
Todd and Drew put on 130 for the second wicket, while Wilson shared a 49-run stand with captain Paul Johnston for the fifth and a 50-run partnership with Scott Cameron for the seventh.
Set a daunting 5.84 runs per over run-rate, a 10-man SKC never threatened the target, losing the early wickets of Jarrod Graham and Alex Baddock. Reece Bradley top-scored with 20 and opener Ben Cant added 19 as the school-boys slumped to their fifth loss in six matches, all out for 119 with Johnston, Glynn Cameron and Phil Crossan taking two wickets each.
The win, coupled with Oamaru's first loss, moved Union within a win of the competition lead, which they could take next Saturday when the two sides meet in a Payne Tempero Trophy defence at Excelsior.