South Australia are the One Day Cup Champions for the 2024/25 season, after beating Victoria at Adelaide Oval today.
The victory means that South Australia became the first team to lift the newly named Dean Jones Trophy. After a match winning bowling performance, Henry Thornton (4-27) was named the inaugural Michael Bevan Medalist.
The championship win happened in front of the largest One-Day Cup Final crowd since South Australia last lifted the trophy.
After batting first, South Australia went about their plans to defend 268. An early wicket by Nathan McAndrew (3-47) was flattened by a partnership between Harris and Kellaway.
However, before the partnership could close the game out, Nathan McSweeney (2-14) got the match back into the hands of the hosts, bringing himself on to bowl and getting the wickets of Harris and Handscomb.
Pressure continued to build as Doggett (1-41) and Thornton hammered a good length. The crack widened with the eventual prolonged fall of Kellaway, caught off short ball from Doggett.
In the end the final wickets fell in a cluster, as McAndrew and Thornton shattered the Victorian lower middle order and tail.
Earlier, South Australia's innings was built on the backs of fifties from Nielsen (68), Lehmann (67), and Scott (54*), as the trio absorbed pressure from the fall of wickets around them.
Nielsen kept the match running as his teammates fell, before Lehmann and Scott closed the innings out. The late innings contributions making sure that the dangerous bowling cartel had enough to work with.
South Australia will now turn their attention to the Sheffield Shield, where they currently sit top of the table. The team will next play starting from 6 March in a Shield clash against Victoria at CitiPower Centre.