A painstaking six in 83 minutes in the second innings of that heavy defeat suggested some stickability and he showed himself a player with a future yesterday.
Anaru Kitchen and Jeet Raval put on 56 after Auckland had been sent in; Raval and Carl Cachopa took it to 91 before both were out in quick order, Raval having laboured 89 balls over 22.
The skids were put under Auckland when James Baker dismissed the Colins, Munro and de Grandhomme, in close succession, and 138 for five looked distinctly iffy.
However O'Donnell and Cachopa resurrected the innings and by stumps their partnership was worth 113 off 234 balls. Baker's three for 39 was ND's best bowling return.
A couple of late wickets gave Canterbury a slight edge in their match against Wellington at the Basin Reserve.
Having been sent in, Wellington reached 245 for seven, but it was a patchy performance.
The early part of the day went well for the hosts, as debutant Deepak Joon and Stephen Murdoch put on 110 for the second wicket.
Joon, 32, played 12 first-class games for Haryana in India's Ranji Trophy first-class competition, before moving to New Zealand.
The lefthander, who had a first-class average of 33 and a century in India, reached 55 while Murdoch, who has had a tidy season for Wellington, made 66.
Then things went awry for Wellington as they lost four for three in 51 balls.
Legspinner Todd Astle took his 200th first-class wicket in that period but a 70-run stand for the sixth wicket between Tom Blundell and Queenslander Alecz Day put some substance back in the innings, before both departed near the end of the day.
In the other game, not a ball was bowled in Queenstown between Otago and CD due to rain.
