Despite a brilliant all-round performance by Beau Webster for Tasmania, where he scored 83 runs and took 2 wickets for just 17 runs, Victoria managed to clinch a three-wicket victory in a closely contested low-scoring match during the first round of the Marsh Cup.
Chasing a target of 225, Peter Handscomb played aggressively and top-scored for Victoria with 51 runs off 42 balls, helping his team reach 229 for 7 with 31 balls to spare. Handscomb’s innings featured seven fours and a six. Opening batsman Tom Rogers contributed 45 runs from 49 balls, setting a solid foundation for Victoria’s chase. Although he was dismissed in the 19th over, Victoria was in a favorable position at 110 for 3.
Victoria’s victory was sealed with a composed innings from the 20-year-old left-hander Campbell Kellaway, who made 46 runs from 71 balls, and an unbeaten cameo of 29 runs from 20 balls by Will Sutherland, including a crucial six to finish the match.
Tasmania’s bowlers Billy Stanlake and Beau Webster were the only ones to claim multiple wickets, while Riley Meredith delivered a rapid spell to finish with figures of 1 for 29 from his 10 overs.
On the other hand, Tasmania’s top-order batsmen struggled against a disciplined Victorian attack on a challenging early-season pitch, eventually getting all out for 224 on the last ball of their 50 overs. Scott Boland and Fergus O’Neill delivered miserly spells, with Boland taking 2 for 30 from his 10 overs and O’Neill securing 1 for 36, including a maiden.
Victoria’s strong performance in their run chase and Tasmania falling short in their innings meant that Victoria secured the victory despite Beau Webster’s impressive efforts.