Beau Webster has plundered a quickfire century amid a record-breaking final-wicket stand to put Tasmania in the box seat for victory in their top-of-the-table Sheffield Shield clash with Victoria.
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Chasing a whopping 442 for victory at a bowler-friendly Blundstone Arena, Victoria went to stumps on day two at 0-18 in their second innings, with Marcus Harris (10) and Nic Maddinson (four) unbeaten at the crease.
Webster was the hero on Saturday, cracking an unbeaten 167 off 180 balls as Tasmania recovered from 6-71 and 9-154 to reach 307 in their second innings.
The 30-year-old combined with No.11 Riley Meredith (44) for a 153-run final-wicket stand - the biggest such partnership in Tasmania's Shield history.
It bettered the 122-run partnership posted by William Ward and Norman Dodds in 1899.
Webster cracked 22 boundaries and four sixes in his blistering knock.
"I chanced my arm a little bit. That's the way I play, especially when the ball is nipping around," Webster said.
"My defence isn't that great, so I've got to play some shots, and today it came off nicely.
"It was good fun batting with the boys down the order."
Webster has 840 runs this Shield season at an average of 70.
The allrounder still harbours hopes of representing Australia in Test cricket.
"I'll keep plugging away here and keep putting numbers on the board," he said.
"If anything comes, that would be great. But a Shield would mean the most to me at the moment."
Victoria are second on the table, but a loss to Tasmania could leave them leapfrogged by Western Australia with just one round remaining.
Bushrangers captain Will Sutherland was left to rue his side's inability to wrap up Tasmania's second innings.
"It was looking quite good there for a while," Sutherland said.
"Credit to Beau Webster and Riley there, they batted really well.
"We just couldn't quite get that last wicket. That's cricket.
"We're still in it. Even if it doesn't go our way this game, we know we can win the last one.
"We'll keep our heads up and hopefully have a good day tomorrow."
The Bushrangers, who started Saturday at 7-81 in their first innings, were bowled out for 106.
Victoria fought back hard with the ball to have Tasmania in trouble at 6-71.
Webster was only on 16 at the time, and he steadied the ship with a 70-run seventh-wicket stand with Jarrod Freeman (23).
But it was the last-wicket salute with Meredith that truly knocked the wind out of Victoria, with the pair cashing in to get the lead above 400.
Webster was in such good touch he smacked paceman Mitchell Perry onto the Ponting Stand roof with one magnificent heave.
Perry was so flustered he ended the day with 12 no-balls to his name, including three in one over.
Australian Associated Press
