Sheffield Shield final: West is best! WA win shield again, claim historic six-peat against Victoria

The six-peat is complete.

For a second straight summer, Western Australia have won the hat-trick of men’s domestic titles on offer to achieve something that’s never been done before.

WA got the job done an hour after lunch on day four of the Sheffield Shield decider at the WACA Ground against Victoria, prevailing by nine wickets with four-and-a-half sessions to spare.

The competition’s leading run-scorer Cam Bancroft (39no) put an exclamation point on a golden summer, guiding WA home to 1-93 alongside young gun Teague Wyllie (43no) who became a two-time shield winner at just 18 years old.

Bancroft fittingly hit the winning runs with a four through mid-wicket off Matt Short to finish on 945 for the season, nearly 300 more than the next best, at an average of 59.06, as he closes in on a long-awaited Test recall.

It came two weeks after claiming the Marsh One-Day Cup final at the same venue against South Australia and nearly two months after Perth Scorchers knocked off Brisbane Heat in a thrilling Big Bash League finale across the Swan River at Optus Stadium.

Coach Adam Voges is now a seven-time title winner including three Marsh Cups, and two apiece in the BBL and shield.

It was WA’s 17th shield title overall and the first time they had gone back-to-back since 1997-98 and 98-99 during their last golden era inspired by legendary names like Justin Langer, Tom Moody, Mike Hussey, Damien Martyn, Adam Gilchrist, Simon Katich, Ryan Campbell and Jo Angel.

Like he was in the BBL decider, all-rounder Ashton Turner claimed player-of-the-final honours for his career-high 128 after coming to the crease with his team in massive trouble at 4-53.

It was Turner’s first shield ton in 1944 days after only getting recalled to the XI for the first time in two-and-a-half years last week following Shaun Marsh’s retirement.

Turner was one of four players to feature in all three finals this season alongside Bancroft, all-rounder Aaron Hardie and seamer Matthew Kelly.

The Vics started the day on 6-122, a lead of just two runs, and set WA a second-innings target of 91 thanks to Will Sutherland’s 83 from just 84 balls.

Sutherland batted through a back issue to frustrate the WA bowlers, hitting eight fours and a six before being the last wicket to fall as the visitors were bowled out for 210.

It was a decent effort considering they were 6-74 when Sutherland strolled to the crease, two positions lower than usual because of an injury he carried through the match, with Mitch Perry (33) and Todd Murphy (26) providing some lower-order resistance at the other end.

It took a peach from Kelly to end the brave 71-run seventh-wicket stand, drawing Mitch Perry’s edge with one going across him as gloveman Josh Philippe completed his eighth dismissal of the match.

Kelly then bettered that with an unplayable delivery to tail-ender Fergus O’Neill first up, with the ball angling in and straightening to hit the top of off stump.

He didn’t become the first player in shield history to get a hat-trick in a final but finished with four wickets for the innings and match figures of 6-91.

Hardie chimed in with a couple of late scalps including Sutherland, who hit one straight to Turner at mid-off in pursuit of more quick runs, taking 2-29 like he did in the first innings.

Left-armer Joel Paris took five for the game to go with an important 31 with the bat in a century stand with Turner.