The Sporting Hack

Victoria (256 & 330/5d) lead Tasmania (232 & 28/1) by 326 runs Day 3 | Sheffield Shield Campbell Kellaway's second innings knock of 147 put Victoria in a commanding position heading in to the final day of their encounter with Tasmania, who require a further 327 runs to take victory. The opener, who celebrates his 23rd birthday this weekend, holed out to deep square leg off the bowling of Tigers pacer Riley Meredith (3/87) but not before he had blazed a trail with 16 fours and 2 sixes to his name. Sharing a 195-run stand for the fifth wicket with the experienced Marcus Harris (101*) Kellaway’s innings helped stabilise the Vics who had fallen to 91/4 and has given his side the best possible chance of a win ahead of a likely entertaining last day. A tall left-hander with punchy strokes down the ground and a potent cut in his armoury, Kellaway reached his half century punishing the ineffective off-breaks of Nikhil Chaudhary by slog-sweeping the spinner out of the ground...

  The Shane Warne Stand There are places in this world where time seems to stand reassuringly still. The Junction Oval, St Kilda, in Melbourne’s inner southern suburbs is one of those sanctums which bequeaths its visitors an oasis of calm tucked in a corner of the picturesque sporting hub that is Albert Park. Just metres away from where the Australian leg of the Formula 1 World Championships is held every March, you can peep beyond the various green tinges of the tree-lined permitter fences to this cricket ground and bear witness to the whirring din of life continuing its increasingly fast pace. But, why would you want to look that far? Avert your eyes to the middle distance and lose yourself in a scene that could pass as much for 1925 as 2025. The white picket fence which encircles the vibrant green playing surface is a perfect nod to tradition, and even the odd advertising billboard cannot lessen its charm. Grass banks and a white picket fence A quaint, almost library-lik...

It could well be a case of back to the drawing board for the Cricket Australia selectors ahead of next month's eagerly anticipated Ashes series. Finding a suitable top order to take on the English in Perth in five weeks is arguably of greater concern than the ongoing injury woe surrounding skipper Pat Cummins. Those waiting by their phones in anticipation of squad selection are now midway through their four-match domestic audition. The chance seems to have all but passed by opener Sam Konstas ( above ).  The 20-year-old burst on to the test scene less than a year ago in dazzling fashion during the home series against India. With time away from the international arena to work on his game, his technique has been scrutinised by onlookers and exploited by a stream of opening bowlers. The latest of which, Australian teammate Scott Boland, did so inside four scoreless balls before the youngster partially redeemed himself with a far-from-fluent 53 in his second dig. The prospect o...

Victoria 240 & 177 beat New South Wales 163 & 216 by 38 runs Junction Oval, Melbourne Sheffield Shield Australian test hopeful Scott Boland (match figures: 8/126) bowled Victoria to a thrilling win against their arch rivals in a see-saw Sheffield Shield encounter. Ably supported across the two innings by Fergus O’Neill (6/80), Boland took some punishment in a low scoring game but will be part of the seam attack to take on the English next month in the Ashes with skipper Pat Cummins set to miss the Perth opener through injury. Defending 255 in the fourth innings, it was an inauspicious start for the hosts who saw opening pair Sam Konstas (53) and Blake Nikitaras (39) lay the foundations with a 90-run stand. The former, desperately seeking form and to avenge his first innings duck, displayed little fear and even reverse-ramped his international teammate Boland for six over the vacant third-man region. However, Todd Murphy (3/17) was on hand to break the resistance by sna...

Melbourne Storm are looking to go one step further than last year’s runner-up spot when they take to the field at Accor Stadium on Sunday evening against the Brisbane Broncos. The two sides topped the try-scoring charts (Storm 125, Broncos 122) and an absolute classic is on the cards. The Broncos ended Penrith’s bid for a fifth successive title – coming from 14 points behind at half-time at a raucous Suncorp Stadium last week to bring the Panthers dominant rein to an end – but this surely is a game too far for Michael Maguire and his team. They will absolutely take confidence from their dramatic Golden Point win over minor premiers, Canberra, and the comeback against one of the greatest ever teams to play the sport. However, they have had two days less recovery time than their opponents, with the Storm fresh from swatting aside a gutsy Cronulla outfit at AAMI Park. Melbourne like to get in front early in games and stay there, just like they did against the Sharks. A fast start f...