Vics on charge for win
VICTORIA is on track for a morale-boosting final-round win over South Australia ahead of hosting next week’s Sheffield Shield final.
A depleted Victorian batting line-up raced to 0-69 yesterday at stumps on day three at Karen Rolton Oval in Adelaide to be 98 runs shy of victory against the bottomplaced Redbacks yesterday.
Set 167 to win, the Vics came out of the blocks quickly and scored their runs off 20 overs.
Travis Dean ended the day on 33, while the Shield’s leading run-scorer Marcus Harris is unbeaten on 36.
Victoria’s impressive pace attack was again at the fore as South Australia’s top-order quickly became rubble.
James Pattinson made a double early breakthrough and ended with a return of 2-7 from seven overs.
Chris Tremain ran through the lower-order for figures of 4-34 as South Australia again suffered a tail-end collapse, this time losing its last five wickets for only 26 runs.
The home side’s innings was held together by Travis Head (37) and Brad Davis (52) who put on 63 for the fifth wicket.
Davis, who scored his maiden first class 50, then joined with keeper Harry Nielsen (40) for a 64-run partnership, but there was little other resistance from an inexperienced Redbacks side. NSW faces a nervous final day against Tasmania in Hobart as it chases the win it needs to hold on to second place and shore up a spot in next week’s Sheffield Shield final.
The Blues ended the penultimate day of the regular season at 5-149, a lead of 269 runs over the home side. WESTERN Australia dominated the second innings with bat and ball to defeat Queensland by 136 runs at the WACA Ground yesterday to stay in the hunt for a place in the Sheffield Shield final.
After conceding a 37-run first innings deficit, the hosts bounced back to defeat the Bulls inside three days.
Captain Mitch Marsh’s 105 was the catalyst for the WA fight back, a knock instrumental in setting Queensland 312 for victory yesterday.
The Bulls never looked likely, losing their final eight wickets in the last session of to be all out for 175.