A big off-cutter from Scott Boland late on the opening day of the Sheffield Shield final has put Victoria slightly on top against South Australia.
Boland (1-60), snuck back through the defence of top-scorer Alex Ross (72) in the fourth-last over on Saturday to leave the Redbacks at 8-325 at stumps on a nice batting wicket at Gliderol Stadium in Adelaide.
A counter-attacking century partnership from Ross and wicketkeeper Alex Carey (50) had lifted SA after they came together at a precarious 5-185.
Carey was dismissed when he tried to slog-sweep left-arm orthodox spinner Jon Holland (3-86) and was caught, but not before he hit the tweaker for three massive sixes.
Joe Mennie also fell in the final hour to Fawad Ahmed (1-33) for one, however it was the late dismissal of Ross that means the home side – who only need a draw to claim the Shield title for the first time in 20 years – will struggle to put the Vics under pressure with a first-innings total of 400-plus.
Chadd Sayers is unbeaten on 20, while Daniel Worrall is not out on five.
Earlier, the Redbacks had cruised to 2-162 after veteran Mark Cosgrove (42) and rookie Jake Weatherald combined for a season-high opening partnership of 90.
Weatherald, 21, was particularly dominant, smashing 13 boundaries in his 61-ball 66, before he was caught behind from a short ball by paceman Daniel Christian (2-43).
However, when the Bushrangers claimed four wickets in the second session, including two in consecutive overs, they found themselves not only back in the contest but on top.
Christian claimed the key scalp of Travis Head, caught at second slip to a short ball that moved away from him, after the competition’s player-of-the-season had raced to 21 off as many balls.
In the following over, Holland got past the driving bat of Sam Raphael to bowl the right-hander for 29.
Holland was in the thick of the action again eight overs later, when he turned a ball from well outside off-stump to have Jake Lehmann bowed for 14, and the Redbacks reeling at 5-185.
The Bushrangers were without pace bowler Tremain for the majority of the final session with cramp, however he is expected to return to the field on day two.
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