Western Australia versus Victoria
After crushing Victoria by 138 runs, Western Australia won the right to host the title match as well as a spot in the Shield final. By the end of the second day, WA had taken four more wickets to extend their lead to 219 runs. Even though Cameron Bancroft scored fifty, Western Australia could only muster 49 more runs before being bowled out.
They set Victoria a goal of 269 to win the competition, and that proved to be more than sufficient. Subsequently, Victoria experienced several stings while pursuing the hunt. The others fell apart around Campbell Kellaway, who was the only batter to reach a valiant half-century. They quickly progressed from 97/4 to 130 all out, handing WA a thrilling victory. As a result, not only have the reigning champs advanced to the championship game, but they will also get to host it for the third consecutive year.
Brief scores: Victoria 144 (Matthew Short 53; Cameron Gannon 5/42) & 130 (Campbell Kellaway 53; Liam Haskett 3/12) were defeated by Western Australia 244 (Jayden Goodwin 43; Scott Boland 4/41) & 168 (Cameron Bancroft 58; Scott Boland 4/51) by 138 runs.
South Australia versus Tasmania
To prevent Tasmania from hosting the final, South Australia pulled off an unexpected victory over them. Going into the final round, Tasmania was the clear frontrunner to win the hosting rights. Nonetheless, SA was able to seize the initiative early on and secure a decisive victory.
After losing Matthew Wade by stumps in the run chase, Tasmania required a further 316 to win. However, early blows from Jordan Buckingham severely damaged them, bringing them down to 61/5. Although half-centurion Beau Webster and Jake Doran put up a little fight, it was insufficient to keep them down. At least they can console themselves knowing that going into this match, Tasmania’s spot in the final was guaranteed.
Brief scores: Tasmania 123 (Jake Doran 52; Nathan McAndrew 6/44) & 189 (Beau Webster 68; Jordan Buckingham 5/65) were defeated by South Australia 271 (Nathan McSweeney 117; Iain Carlisle 3/62) & 175 (Harry Nielsen 53; Beau Webster 3/37) by 134 runs.
New South Wales versus Queensland
Oliver Davies struck a magnificent century to give New South Wales a commanding 172-run lead over Queensland in the first innings. Resuming at 222/5, Davies was able to add some crucial runs by rallying with the lower order. He scored 131 in the process and was the ninth batter to be removed from the game.
In the second essay, Queensland performed much better at the bat, however the lower order accounted for most of the runs. At one point they were down to 42/4, and the top order failed to fire again. After looking like they were going to lose an innings, Jimmy Peirson, Jack Wildermuth, and Xavier Bartlett—who also scored runs in the first innings—all made significant contributions that helped Queensland turn the tide. Despite this, NSW remains the favourite to win as Queensland now lead by just 115 with two wickets remaining.
Brief scores: Queensland 287/8 at 144, with Jimmy Peirson at 64 and Tanveer Sangha at 4/116, leading New South Wales 316 by 115 runs.
