Western Australia 7 (Curtis 83*, Cartwright 78, Elliott 3-38, O’Neill 3-54) 167 and 278 to lead. victoria 373 x 72 runs
O’Neill ended Cartwright’s 166-ball barrage on the 78th hole with a perfect cutter that tickled the outside edge. The 23-year-old, who took three wickets in the first innings, gave Victoria a fresh look and also featured in the match between Australia A and India A.
Cartwright, along with support from skipper Ashton Turner and Curtis, kept the innings alive for the Sheffield Shield champions for the third successive time.
The visitors resumed at 34 for the third day, with players being taken off the pitch either side of the lunch break before or after rain.
Elliott, a powerful all-rounder, hit the pitch hard and snared Sam Fanning and Jayden Goodwin in the morning session, both coming into the hands of first slip Peter Handscomb’s bucket.
With a vital bonus point from the match, Victoria will climb to the top of the leaderboard if she can pull off a win.
Cartwright has scored 420 runs at an average of 70 in four Shield matches this year, a reminder of why he played in two Tests for Australia in 2017.
His defiance may not have been enough to save his side in this match, but alongside Curtis he made the Victorians fight hard.
