NSW’s dreams of securing a spot in the Sheffield Shield final have been crushed by a Matt Kuhnemann-inspired Tasmania.
The Blues began day four in Hobart at 0-71, chasing 529 for an unlikely victory and a spot in next week’s decider against South Australia at Karen Rolton Oval.
But paceman Gabe Bell (2-63) struck twice in the same over around an hour after the resumption to break the promising opening partnership and then dispatch of comeback kid Kurtis Patterson without scoring.
NSW’s innings never got going again after that, with the visitors all out for 202 just after 6.30pm local in the day-night fixture, 327 runs short of their target.
Test spinner Kuhnemann (5-49) was chief destroyer after Bell’s early efforts, dispatching of his fellow Sri Lanka tourist Sam Konstas to begin his eighth five-wicket haul in first-class cricket.
Konstas (68) did his best to provide resistance with a second half-century since being overlooked for game time on the Test tour of Sri Lanka.
The teenager showed off his creative side, scooping Bell to the boundary for four but was out only three overs later.
Bell was again at the centre of the action to dispatch of Konstas, having enticed his opening partner Blake Nikitaras (51) into edging to flying wicketkeeper Jake Doran.
Konstas holed out to Bell on the boundary rope at deep mid-wicket as he knelt down for a pull shot, but still finished as the innings’ top scorer.
Bowling allrounder Sean Abbott (28) was the only batter to hold the gloves up after that as Kuhnemann wreaked havoc.
Kuhnemann decimated the NSW middle order, sending Josh Philippe’s leg bail flying on five runs before Ollie Davies (11) skied him to Tim Ward.
NSW skipper Jack Edwards played through knee soreness and came in at No.10, though added only one run before hitting back to Kuhnemann, who completed his five-wicket haul.
The result in Hobart was great news for Queensland who had been crossing their fingers to see whether they would make the Sheffield Shield final after drawing with South Australia in a possible preview of the decider.
By the afternoon of day four, it became clear neither side had a realistic chance of victory, leaving South Australia captain Nathan McSweeney and stand-in Queensland skipper Marnus Labuschagne to shake hands.
Having reached 7-614 declared in their first innings, South Australia finished at 5-252 in their second dig after bowling Queensland out for 370, but ran out of time to enter their home final in winning form.
Having secured the draw they needed to remain in contention, the second-placed Bulls needed NSW to fall short in their run-chase and are also relying on Western Australia not winning and snatching their spot.
Western Australia ultimately came within 35 runs of earning the chance to play for a fourth consecutive Sheffield Shield title, falling to Victoria in their must-win final match of the regular season.
Victoria (197 and 9d-370) set the hosts 382 runs for victory on day four at the WACA Ground, where a win would also have booked WA a spot in next week’s final against South Australia.
Western Australia (186, 347) toiled valiantly, with Hilton Cartwright (79) top-scoring and Joel Paris (45) leading a gallant fightback in the tail.
But playing what was likely to be his final Sheffield Shield match, veteran quick Peter Siddle denied Western Australia a win against the odds when No.10 Corey Rocchiccioli (20) clipped him to the cordon in the third-last over of the day.
The result means Queensland will lock up second place on the ladder and face South Australia in next week’s final at Karen Rolton Oval after the two top-ranked sides played out a draw that finished there earlier on Tuesday.
WA’s target looked a long way off when Siddle (4-68) dismissed captain Sam Whiteman without scoring on the second ball of the innings.
But two-time Test player Cartwright (79) led a fightback in the middle order that had the hosts daring to dream at 4-233.
Victoria captain Will Sutherland (4-79) rattled Cartwright’s off-stump short of an 11th first-class century, leaving the hosts to regroup.
Cooper Connolly burst onto the first-class scene in last year’s tournament final and emerged as Western Australia’s last recognised batter to seal another berth.
Connolly (56) reached his half-century with a six over long on from spinner Todd Murphy, the man he replaced in the XI on Test debut against Sri Lanka last month.
But when he hit Siddle straight to Harry Dixon at cover, Western Australia were into the bowlers and still required 99 runs.
Campbell Kellaway leapt in the air for a spectacular one-handed catch in the deep that halted Cameron Gannon’s fightback on 19 from Will Sutherland’s bowling, before Paris resumed the push.
But WA were limping to the finish when he edged Sutherland to Blake Macdonald behind the stumps, with the hosts coming up agonisingly short.
Adding insult to injury, WA’s loss has meant they will fall to the bottom of the ladder to finish the season, overtaken by Victoria.
South Australia, after resuming at 2-66 in their second innings on day four, put on 186 runs for the loss of three wickets.
Jason Sangha brought up a fifth first-class century with an unbeaten 103, reaching triple figures by driving Mitch Swepson over the long off boundary.
It was one of four sixes for the former Sydney Thunder captain, who had slog swept former Test spinner Swepson over long on earlier in the match.
Sangha’s feats came as high-profile teammates fell around him on day four.
After snaring centurion Conor McInerney in the first innings, part-time paceman Labuschagne (2-34) trapped ex-Test teammate Nathan McSweeney (27) to finish as the match’s unlikely leading wicket-taker.
Labuschagne posted match figures of 4-107.
Test wicketkeeper Alex Carey (56) continued his impressive summer with the bat, bringing up his half-century before driving another part-timer in Matt Renshaw to Ben McDermott at cover.
Carey, who made 104 in the first innings, has averaged 120.67 across his past four first-class knocks.
© AAP
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