Bushrangers v. Blues - Pura Cup

[Donny]

With David Hussey and Jonathon Moss batting well at 3/200, needing only 30 to win, it looked all over when the match took another turn.

Hussey (50), Moss (63) and Harvey (0) were all back in the pavillion within the space of 8 balls. All of a sudden, it was 6/201.

White and McDonald steadied the ship with a 20 run partnership but more drama was to follow as White and Roach departed. 8/228.

McDonald (16 n.o.) saw the Bushies home and up to the top of the Pura Cup table, equal with Tassie. Clark took 4/52.

This was an excellent match, just one of the many great finishes in the Pura games this season.

[Donny]

Vics home in thriller

By Adam Coope - Fox Sports

VICTORIA beat New South Wales by two wickets in a thrilling Pura Cup cricket match at the MCG to claim equal top spot on the competition table.

Having lost 5-28 before tea and needing just two runs to win at the start of the last session, Victorian tailenders Andrew McDonald and Mick Lewis took the Bushrangers to 8-230 on the last ball of the first over into the last session.

McDonald flicked Stuart Clark off his pad for two to claim the winning runs and finished unbeaten on 16, with Lewis not out nought.

The win gave Victoria six points to draw the Bushrangers level with Tasmania on 14 points from four matches.

But despite the valour of NSW, the reigning Cup champions, in defending a fourth-innings total of 230, the Blues left the match empty-handed and are fifth on the table with eight points.

In a nailbiting final day in what was a topsy-turvy match, Victoria was cruising, then shaky, then charging towards the finish before whittling off the last few runs.

Victoria looked in complete control in the first hour after lunch, as Jonathan Moss (63) and David Hussey (50) smacked 16 fours and three sixes between them in a sparkling fourth-wicket stand of 106.

But Hussey was LBW to Matthew Nicholson with the score on 200 and an over-and-a-bit later, when Clark had Moss and then Ian Harvey out – the latter's second duck of the match – the Vics were at a very wobbly 6-201.

Victorian captain Cameron White and McDonald then steadied, but the skipper (12) popped up a catch off Brett Lee to leave the door ajar.

In the tension, wicketkeeper Peter Roach (0) was then run out as McDonald charged down the pitch after driving straight to mid-on, only for Greg Mail to field cleanly and throw to NSW keeper Brad Haddin to have his counterpart well short.

Clark finished with 4-52, Nicholson 2-55 and Lee 1-69.

Hussey, who made 120 in Victoria's first innings 326, was named man of the match.