WESTERN Australia claimed a tense nine-run win against Victoria, featuring Nowra's Nic Maddinson, to go top of the Marsh One-Day Cup table, on a rain-affected Wednesday night in Perth - that despite delays still provided plenty of highlights.
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At the WACA, the hosts decided to bat first.
Despite losing openers Josh Phillipe (14) and D'Arcy Short (eight) cheaply, the hosts' middle-order set up a strong total for Western Australia.
Knocks from Cameron Bancroft (76), Marcus Stonis (45), Ashton Turner (39) and Shaun Marsh steered the hosts to 9/281 from their 42 overs, in a rain-affected innings.
Matt Short (2/32), Will Sutherland (2/52) and Xavier Crone (2/60) all took multiple wickets for the visitors.
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The Victorian run-chase was a stop-start affair, finally starting about 11.30pm AEDT, with the visitors set a revised target of 175 from 20 overs.
An entertaining cameo from Sam Harper saw him hit four massive sixes before he fell but Will Pucovski (zero), Marcus Harris (one) and Glenn Maxwell (two) all exited cheaply around a series of rain delays.
Maddinson added 28 from just nine balls as he put on a 42-run stand with Handscomb (73 not out from 54 balls) but the Shoalhaven product became WA debutant Aaron Hardie's maiden wicket when he guided a catch to gully.
Number 10 batsman Andrew Fekete smacked two late fours when finding himself on strike and a waist-high no-ball from AJ Tye in the final over gave Victoria hope, but they couldn't capitalise and slumped to a second defeat in their four matches - ending at 8/165 and losing by nine runs on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern system.
Matthew Kelly (3/7) and Stonis (3/20) starred with the white ball for the victors.
Maddinson's state side will play NSW in their next one-day fixture at the MCG on November 17.
