New South Wales claim 12th one-day title with Marsh Cup triumph

With several powerhouse players unavailable, a pair of rising stars helped the New South Wales Blues secure their 12th one-day title.

Sean Abbott and Jack Edwards.

The New South Wales Blues have secured their first one-day title in four years after defeating Western Australia by 102 runs at Bankstown Oval.

Blues young gun Jack Edwards scored his second List A century while paceman Sean Abbott claimed four wickets to help topple the reigning champions on Sunday.

Watch Live Coverage of The 2020/21 Marsh Sheffield Shield on Kayo. New to Kayo? Try 14-Days Free Now >

Due to Indian Premier League commitments, New South Wales were without international stars David Warner, Pat Cummins, Daniel Sams, Steve Smith and Moises Henriques, while Western Australia lost Marcus Stoinis and Jhye Richardson to the glamorous T20 tournament.

After winning the toss and opting to bat first, the undefeated Blues quickly found themselves in dire straits after losing 3/7 early in their innings.

But opening batsman Daniel Hughes combined with Edwards for a crucial 118-run partnership to help steer the hosts towards a defendable total.

New South Wales players celebrate their victory.

Edwards had not reached triple figures in state cricket since November 2018, but the 20-year-old finally broke the drought in Bankstown, his classy knock featuring four boundaries and three sixes.

“I had a feeling I was going to be playing with the Aussie guys away,” Edwards said after the win.

“It was probably a little bit of a blessing that I hadn’t played too many games (this season) because I just felt like I was coming out and just batting. I felt pretty relaxed out there.

“I’m still reasonably inexperienced at this level, so just getting to play was great. Even with those games I wasn’t playing, I was around the group and watching how they went about setting up an innings.”

A special moment for Jack Edwards - a #MarshCup final century! @RoySymonds63: "A very intelligent innings from a young man."@MarshGlobal | #MarshCuppic.twitter.com/mKP5RcHnwK

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) April 11, 2021

Jason Behrendorff was the chief destroyer with the ball, finishing his 10-over spell with figures of 3/46.

Chasing 252 for victory, Western Australia’s batsmen struggled against the world-class Blues attack, which featured Australian stalwarts Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon.

But having just recovered from a hand injury, Abbott proved the most damaging bowler on Sunday afternoon.

The 29-year-old snared 4/23 in a game-changing seven-over spell, including the prized wickets of Josh Philippe, Mitch Marsh and Ashton Turner.

A vintage Starc yorker to tailender Lance Morris in the 41st over sealed the match and a 12th one-day title for New South Wales — no West Australian batsman reached 50 in the run chase.

The winning moment for NSW! #MarshCup🏆 pic.twitter.com/pkpy79u3Mb

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) April 11, 2021

Yeeeeewwwwww! 🏆💙 @CricketNSWBlues#MarshCuphttps://t.co/eWXPMjMsnh

— Trent Copeland (@copes9) April 11, 2021

READ MORE: IPL champs stunned by $2.5m Aussie star

“They’re a world-class bowling attack and we were outplayed … it certainly hurts,” West Australian captain Mitch Marsh said after the loss.

“The toss was definitely huge today in those conditions. Ultimately I thought we bowled pretty well, and 250 was probably par on that wicket. We just didn’t bat well and they executed with the ball unbelievably well.

“We actually just spoke in the change rooms – I think we’re a very good one-day team at the moment, but to become a great one-day team, in conditions like that we need to win.

“That will be a learning curve for us.”

The 2020/21 summer of cricket will finally draw to a close when New South Wales and Queensland compete for the coveted Sheffield Shield title at Allan Border Field next week.