In an entertaining finish to the two day U Bix Cup elimination match between Ashburton and North Otago at Centennial Park, the visitors took first innings points.
North Otago won the toss and North Otago skipper Ian Chapman sent Ashburton in to bat.
Peter Burton and Grant Houston put on 49 for the first wicket before Burton was out for 12.
Houston who was to prove the sheer anchor for the visiting side batted confidently and with Jeff Spicer added 72 for the third wicket. However with the fall of Houston at 221 the end was in sight with the opening batsmen batting for 224 minutes for his century which included seven fours.
Houston was finally out for 112. Ashburton captain Geoff Wright was the best of the other batsmen with 31.
Graeme Ballantyne who was to play an important role later in the game relinquished the gloves to "Tussock" Johnson who was a late arrival and then took up the ball.
Off 29 overs and two balls Ballantyne finished with 5 for 59 while the ever accurate Ian Chapman took 3 for 53 of 31 overs.
In the field Ashley Flannery picked up two fine catches to dismiss first, Burton, and then Denis Mabley.
The North Otago innings opened at 4.23 on the first day but off the first ball of the innings young opener Kieran Forde was clean bowled by John Richardson without scoring.
David Reid and Johnson added 40 for the third wicket before Reid went to be followed by Johnson with no further addition to the score.
This brought together two youngsters in Michael Pitches and Ashley Flannery and they saw out the final 82 minutes before stumps on the first day which saw North Otago 125 for 4.
Flannery blossomed on the Sunday morning.
His first two scoring shots were boundaries and with Pitches featured in a fifth wicket stand of 109 before Pitches went for a sensible 17.
Flannery went two balls later for a superb 85, which included 12 boundaries and lasted 131 minutes.
Further down the order Andrew Hore (18 not out) and Bruce Sewell saw North Otago go through to 203 before the last wicket fell.
Peter Hansen was Ashburton's man of the innings taking 5 for 59 off 28 overs and three balls while fellow opening bowler John Richardson took 3 for 68 off 18 overs.
Ashburton started its second innings 75 minutes before lunch on the second day and batted through to just after tea before declaring the innings closed at 180 with one wicket still in hand.
Tim Morgan batting at seven top scored for Ashburton with 42; Dennis Mabley redeemed himself with 38 while Lindsay Chapman added 36.
The best partnership of the innings came for the seventh wicket when Chapman and Morgan added 72 runs.
Ian Chapman was the chief destroyer for North Otago taking 6 for 60 off 32 overs while Graeme Ballantyne took 2 for 79.
The North Otago second innings opened at 25 for 5 on the final day leaving the local side 85 minutes and 20 overs to score the 228 runs needed for the outright victory.
Ballantyne and Forde gave the local side a great start with an opening stand of 87 scoring in even time.
But with the message to chase the runs North Otago then lost Forde, Johnson and Flannery with the addition of only 30 runs and the pendulum had swung back Ashburton's way.
At the start of the last 20 overs North Otago needed to score at a rate of slightly better than nine an over.
Even with Michael Pitches and Bruce Sewell went with the total at 159.
Chapman continued his positive approach promoting himself up the order.
Making full use of his long front leg and well weighted rear foot he swung lustily and successfully to be not out on 31 when the final ball was bowled with North Otago still needing 33 runs and Ashburton a solitary wicket.
Chapman's innings contained four fours and one mighty six.
The legspin of Tony Clarke and the offspin of Peter Burton tied up the North Otago middle order. Burton finished with 6 for 52 off 12 overs while Burton had 3 for 78.
There were one or two milestones in the North Otago batting.
Graeme Ballantyne produced his best bowling figures for North Otago taking 5 for 59.
The 109 run partnership between Michael Pitches and Ashley Flannery in North Otago's first innings was a new partnership record against Ashburton while Ian Chapman recorded his highest score for North Otago.
Short Scorecard(s)
Representative - U-Bix Cup - Zone Series
Ashburton County vs North Otago at Centennial Park Oval, Oamaru
Ashburton County 250 ( G. Houston 112, G. Wright 31, J. Spicer 22, T. Clarke 16, J. Richardson 13no, P. Burton 12, G.J. Ballantyne 5-59, I. Chapman 3-53 ) & 180-9dec ( T. Morgan 42, D. Mably 38, L. Chapman 36, J. Spicer 22, G. Wright 17, I. Chapman 6-60, G.J. Ballantyne 2-79 )
North Otago 203 ( A. Flannery 85, G. Johnson 26, A. Hore 18no, M. Pitches 17, D.W. Reid 16, G.J. Ballantyne 13, B. Sewell 12, Hansen 5-59, Richardson 3-68 ) & 195-9 ( G.J. Ballantyne 71, I. Chapman 31no, K. Forde 28, M. Pitches 26, B. Sewell 15, Clarke 6-52, Burton 3-78 )
First innings win to Ashburton County
Full scorecard for the match