Late rain thwarts WA victory push after Bancroft hundred

Cameron Bancroft hit his first century of the summer but rain and a stubborn knock from Liam Scott ended Western Australia's bid to secure victory against South Australia.

Bancroft struck an unbeaten 105 off 255 balls as WA declared at 3-243 in their second innings, setting South Australia a victory target of 364 off 90 overs.

South Australia were precariously placed at 5-170 after 60.1 overs when a rain break wiped out 17 overs.

The loss of Harry Nielsen in the first over after the rain break meant WA needed just four more wickets with 12.2 overs remaining.

But Scott (33no off 106 balls) and Ben Manenti (21 off 34) guided the hosts to 6-208 before the game was deemed a draw with three balls remaining.

There was unexpected drama late in the match when Hilton Cartwright was forced off the field after being accidentally struck in the head by the ball.

Cartwright wasn't looking when Bancroft tossed the ball to him from five metres away, but luckily the impact was only minor.

Bancroft resumed on Tuesday unbeaten on 71, bringing up his century with a hook shot to square leg off Spencer Johnson from his 247th ball faced.

After failing to pass 16 runs in his 11 previous red-ball innings this summer – including two matches for Australia A – after starting the season as a genuine contender for the vacant Test opening spot, the relief was evident as he celebrated reaching the milestone.

The 32-year-old raised his bat and helmet to the sky upon reaching triple figures, with the knock an important step in his bid to get back in the conversation for a Test call-up.

Cartwright (33) and Ashton Turner (24no) provided support prior to the declaration on day four with Johnson (2-60) claiming two of the three wickets to fall in WA's second innings.

WA young gun Jayden Goodwin was named man of the match for his scores of 139 and 69. WA retained the Rod Marsh Cup (main picture) after winning the inaugural contest for the perpetual trophy last season.

Sheffield Shield standings 2024-25

Team	Matches played M	Wins W	Losses L	Drawn D	No results N/R	Deductions Ded.	Batting Bonus Bat	Bowling Bonus Bowl	Total points PTS
1 Western Australia Men WA	5	2	1	2	0	0	5	4.2	23.2
2 South Australia Men SA	5	2	1	2	0	0	3.17	4.3	21.47
3 Victoria Men VIC	4	2	1	1	0	0	3.76	3.4	20.16
4 NSW Men NSW	4	1	1	2	0	0	3.03	3.3	14.33
5 Tasmanian Tigers Men TAS	4	0	2	2	0	0	5.41	3.2	10.61
6 Queensland Bulls QLD	4	0	1	3	0	0	3.75	3.6	10.35

Legend

M: Matches played

W: Wins

L: Losses

D: Drawn

N/R: No results

Ded.: Deductions

Bat: Batting Bonus

Bowl: Bowling Bonus

PTS: Total points