Western Australia seal drought-breaking Shield title

Western Australia have clinched their first Sheffield Shield title in more than two decades as this season's final against Victoria at the WACA petered out to a draw on day five.

The hosts were 7-400 leading by 480 with Victoria having exhausted all of their front-line bowlers when the players shook hands at lunch.

Having secured the first innings bonus points advantage on day three, meaning they could draw the match and still claim their first title since 1998-98, opener Sam Whiteman and young allrounder Aaron Hardie both hit centuries on day four as they batted WA out trouble.

The pair put on 174 runs across almost five hours on Sunday after coming together at a perilous 5-110 with Victoria well and truly in the hunt.

But the visitors couldn't get that crucial sixth breakthrough as Whiteman (123) and Hardie (174 not out) steadied before batting WA into an unlosable position of 393 runs in front by stumps on day four.

Hardie continued the resistance in the morning of day five, bringing up his 150 with a square drive to the boundary as Western Australia showed no signs of declaring to set up an improbable final-day chase for Victoria.

The visitors tried hard for quick wickets during the first hour with Scott Boland (2-35), Will Sutherland (1-86), who took five first innings wickets, and Mitch Perry (1-61) all giving it one final crack, but WA were content to block it out.

Jon Holland (2-98) managed to get the breakthrough with Joel Paris (21) trapped leg before, and the left-arm spinner should have had two soon after but Will Pucovski spilled the chance at midwicket off the bat of Matt Kelly (21 not out).

From there the match fizzled out, with Hardie launching one massive six over long on as he reached the third-highest score for WA in a Sheffield Shield final behind Mike Veletta's 262 in 1986-87 and Adam Gilchrist's 189 not out in 1995-96.

Former Test opener Cameron Bancroft (141) set up the hosts' path to victory with a superb century on day one before a sensational burst from left-armer Paris gave WA the first innings advantage midway through the match.

With the sides locked in a fascinating battle to claim more bonus points and therefore gain the advantage should the match finish in a stalemate, Paris delivered the crucial wickets of Nic Maddinson and Jono Merlo to stall Victoria's first innings after lunch on day three.

The 29-year-old's 2-34 from seven overs ensured WA gained 1.67 bonus points compared to Victoria's 1.44 after 100 overs of each team's first innings, which meant the hosts had the luxury of batting the Vics out of the game across the final two days without needing to force a result.

And bat they did, soaking up 163 overs in their second innings.

Having been on the other end of drawn matches as the second-ranked team in their two previous final appearances since their last Shield title, the result ensures all three men’s domestic cricket trophies are on their way to Perth after WA won the Marsh One-Day Cup last month and the Scorchers were crowned KFC BBL|11 champions in January with Adam Voges coaching all three winning sides.

The Scorchers also claimed the Weber WBBL|07 title at Optus Stadium in November.

It's WA's 16th Marsh Sheffield Shield title and their first since a team boasting Michael Hussey, Adam Gilchrist, Damien Martyn, Simon Katich, Tom Moody, Brendon Julian and Jo Angel beat Queensland at the Gabba in 1998-99.

That was the second of their back-to-back triumphs having beating Tasmania at home a year earlier, which was the last time the WACA hosted the decider before this season's finale.

Western Australia's 17-year-old No.5 Teague Wyllie – playing just his second first-class match becomes the youngest Sheffield Shield winner at 17 years and 342 days old after being the second youngest behind Test skipper Pat Cummins (17 years, 313 days) to play in a final.

At the other end of his cricketing journey is his 38-year-old captain Shaun Marsh, who had played four seasons before his newest teammate Wyllie was born, now has his first Shield title in an illustrious 21-year career that has netted him 12,015 first-class runs and 32 centuries, including six in Test matches for Australia.