Konstas wins the battle, Boland wins the match for Victoria

Sam Konstas finally won a battle with Scott Boland but New South Wales lost the war against Victoria with the Test quick and spinner Todd Murphy combining to bowl their state to a thrilling victory at the Junction Oval inside three days.

New South Wales were 184 for 5 needing just 71 to win before Boland took the last five wickets of the match, including Oliver Davies for 64 as he threatened to take the game away. Boland also gave Davies an uncharacteristic stare after knocking off his leg bail with a stunning delivery that jagged back through the gate. Earlier, Murphy took 3 for 17 in a game-changing spell, including bagging Konstas for a rollicking 53.

New South Wales were left frustrated, falling short of chasing a fourth innings target of 255 on the back of a superb display from the bowlers to give them a chance of winning the game. They were also on the end of two controversial stumping decisions.

The first was given against Matthew Gilkes as part of a collapse of 4 for 7 after they had reached 90 without loss in the chase. Gilkes played and missed at Fergus O'Neill with Victoria keeper Sam Harper up to the stumps. Harper held the ball near the bails and paused for a moment. Gilkes briefly moved his back foot behind the popping crease and Harper removed the balls during that time. The square leg umpire gave him out stumped in real time with no TV umpire available in Shield cricket.

The second went against No.11 Ryan Hadley, who was visibly annoyed when given out caught in the gully after the umpire deemed he had got an inside edge onto his pad.

While Boland was the hero late for Victoria, Murphy had turned the game following a superb stand from Konstas and Blake Nikitaras. Konstas' innings was a thrilling ride. He was almost bowled by Boland not offering a shot in the opening over. He reverse ramped the Test quick for six. He also charged O'Neill and lofted him over mid-off. He hooked Mitch Perry to fine leg but Murphy was too far in off the rope and it cleared him but landed well inside the boundary.

Murphy exacted revenge though. After forcing Nikitaras to miscue to mid-on to break the opening stand, he picked up Konstas for the second time in his career. Konstas tried to cut a good length ball that spun and bounced more and he expected and chopped it onto his stumps. Murphy also removed Kurtis Patterson caught behind shortly after.

It was a sequence the New South Wales coach Greg Shipperd bemoaned post-match. "That was a terrific partnership, a bit of punch, a bit of counter punch from both batters, but both got out in a disappointing fashion," he said. "So that opened the door, and the door was then slammed shut on us.

"[Konstas is a] baby cricketer in terms of experience as are a number of batters in the game on both sides. So there's a lot of learning to be done. And he's learned a couple of lessons today."

Incredibly, Murphy did not bowl another ball in the match after picking up Patterson in his eighth over. Victoria captain Will Sutherland opted for pace against the right-handed Davies who is a good player of spin.

Davies looked set to win the game with a superb display of driving through the off side. He struck nine fours and a six before Boland snaked one through the gate. Boland then ripped through the lower-order, hitting the stumps twice more en route to his 10th five-wicket haul for Victoria.

Three wickets apiece to Hadley and Liam Hatcher had given the Blues a reachable fourth innings target by combining to bowl out Victoria for just 177 in their second innings.

After Hatcher and Hadley had claimed five wickets under gloomy skies on the second evening, Edwards struck twice in the morning session with Harper edging to slip and Sutherland nicking behind to leave Victoria struggling at 121 for 7. Mitchell Perry and O'Neill added valuable runs before Perry chopped Hadley on to hand the NSW quick his third scalp of the innings.

O'Neill thrashed five boundaries in his brisk 25 before he was outfoxed by Nathan Lyon. O'Neill skipped down to try and launch the Test spinner over long-on but was beaten in flight and stumped by miles.

Murphy was the last man out, adjudged lbw trying to reverse sweep a Lyon delivery that pitched on off stump.

The victory propels Victoria to the top of the table with two wins from two matches.