Have Otago finally got themselves in a position where they can ram home the advantage and set up the winning position that has been denied them in games so far in the State Championship?

Central Districts could only manage 185 after being asked to bat first by Otago captain Craig Cumming when the four-day domestic competition resumed today.

It had been 30 degrees Celsius in Alexandra overnight but the temperature plummeted dramatically before play started in cool conditions at Molyneux Park.

Central Districts started out on a greenish wicket, unlike the usual Molyneux Park one and things worked Otago's way, almost from the outset. Peter Ingram and David Kelly were both out when the score was 22 and Ben Smith followed at 49.

Mathew Sinclair worked his way to 28 off 38 balls, hitting five fours, but was trapped leg before wicket by Craig Pryor. At that stage each of the Otago bowlers used had claimed a wicket.

Some overdue defiance came from captain Glen Sulzberger, who battled hard for 137 minutes, to score his 36 runs. He and wicket-keeper Bevan Griggs added 55 for the sixth wicket, before Griggs was out for 24 after 72 minutes, the first victim of fast bowler Kerry Walmsley returning to the action.

Theirs was easily the best partnership in the innings and apart from a later contribution by Andrew Schwass, batting at No 8 for 39 not out, there was little else to enthuse over in the batting. Central Districts were all out for 185.

Walmsley with four for 42 from 20 overs impressed and deserved a five-wicket bag.

James McMillan, who took three for 53 from 15.4 overs, bowled well in patches. But like David Sewell, who had one for 44 from 14 overs, he tended to bowl too many short balls. Sewell continued his penchant for leg side theory.

Pryor performed a very economical spell of 12 overs and finished with two for 32.

Otago did not make the best of starts when losing Robbie Lawson for five with the score on 11 when he was caught off Michael Mason's bowling. While on 32, Cumming was caught off Schwass for nine.

However, Simon Beare was 16 not out and Chris Gaffaney was 12 not out when bad light stopped play 55 minutes early with Otago 48/2.

Otago's response will determine just how much of a factor the pitch was in the Central Districts innings. But if the conditions allow the batsmen to get in tomorrow, Otago must look to build a big total to put the pressure on CD on days three and four.

© CricInfo