Rocchiccioli holds his nerve to clinch one-wicket thriller for Western Australia
The offspinner had claimed five wickets then forged the match-winning stand with No. 11 Cameron Gannon after a WA collapse
AAP
14-Nov-2025 • 2 hrs ago
Corey Rocchiccioli starred with ball then bat • Getty Images
Western Australia 322 for 7 dec (Green 94, Bancroft 76, Hardie 55*) and 272 for 9 (Whiteman 81, Bartlett 3-25) beat Queensland 390 (Renshaw 101, Hearne 87, Labuschagne 50, Bartlett 50, Gannon 4-88) and 203 (Clayton 54, Renshaw 51, Rocchiccioli 5-47) by one wicket
Western Australia captain Sam Whiteman made the most of Queensland's butter fingers before Corey Rocchiccioli guided the tail home in a thrilling one-wicket Sheffield Shield victory over Queensland.
Set 272 for victory from 90 overs on Friday at the WACA Ground, WA went from a comfortable 155 for 2 to a shaky 249 for 9 as Queensland's attack put the squeeze on.
But Rocchiccioli (24 not out off 37 balls) and No.11 Cameron Gannon (10 not out off 13 balls) showed nerves of steel in an unbeaten 23-run final-wicket stand to guide WA to their first win of the season with 7.3 overs remaining.
Whiteman, in his 100th Shield match, was the rock at the top of the order, with his knock of 81 off 170 balls helping set up victory. But he had some luck along the way.
The 32-year-old was yet to score when he was dropped at second slip by substitute fielder Hugh Weibgen, who was on the field for the rested Matt Renshaw (knee).
Whiteman was dropped again on 47, this time in the deep by another substitute fielder - Benji Floros.
Cameron Bancroft, Hilton Cartwright and Cameron Green failed to go on with their starts, while Cooper Connolly was out for just 2 as Queensland worked their way back into the contest.
Xavier Bartlett loomed as the biggest threat to WA's victory hopes, with the home side going from slipping to 159 for 4 when he struck twice in the space of three overs by having Green caught on the pull and Connolly flashing a top edge to the keeper.
Whiteman's luck finally ran out when he hooked Gurinder Sandhu to the deep and Angus Lovell took a tumbling catch, reducing WA to 180 for 5.
WA still needed 55 more runs for victory when Aaron Hardie fell for 12, and when Josh Inglis departed for 28, WA's tail was well and truly exposed.
But Rocchiccioli and Gannon stood up when counted, reviving WA's season after they began with two losses and a draw.
It wasn't only Queensland's dropped catches on Friday that proved costly.
They were cruising at 183 for 4 in their second innings late on Thursday before a collapse struck. Player of the match Rocchiccioli snared four quick wickets as Queensland slumped to 187 for 8 by stumps.
Rocchiccioli claimed another wicket on Friday morning to help dismiss Queensland for 203.