Bendigo's Xavier Crone experienced the ups and downs of cricket in one afternoon in Tuesday's Marsh Cup clash between Victoria and South Australia at the MCG.
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Playing in just his third game for Victoria, Crone had the jubilation of knocking back the off stump of Australian one-day international keeper/batsman Alex Carey and dismissing South Australia's leading run scorer Callum Ferguson.
However, he also had the displeasure of watching Redbacks' star Tom Cooper belt three sixes and one four off his final over of the South Australia innings.
After conceding 22 runs in his first three overs, Crone fought back well in his second and third spells until the final over fireworks left him with figures of 2-76 off 10 overs.
Cooper and partner Alex Ross had plundered 31 runs off Peter Siddle's (0-75) final over - the 49th of the innings.
The Redbacks (4-322) clung on to defeat Victoria (5-321) by just one run.
Rookie Jake Fraser-McGurk showed nerves of steel in just his second outing to nearly get Victoria over the line with an impressive unbeaten 41 off 34 balls.
But the 17-year-old failed to make full connection with the final ball from Cameron Valente with three needed for victory, having entered the final over with 12 required.
He could only complete a leg bye.
Australian ODI captain Finch hit 119 off 123 balls before being caught in the outfield after adding 147 for the third wicket with Peter Handscomb.
Handscomb appeared on track for a century, but fell to a sublime diving catch from Valente to end his 75-ball knock on 87.
Ferguson laid the foundation for South Australia's innings and carved out a new mark in the record books with a stylish 122 from 128 deliveries.
Ferguson's second ton in three days, enabled the veteran overhaul Darren Lehmann as the leading one-day cup run-maker for the Redbacks.
Finch and Ferguson also sit just behind New South Wales opener Daniel Hughes as the leading run-scorer in this season's competition.
Yet the real fireworks came from Cooper in an extraordinary and, ultimately decisive, cameo with the veteran striking seven sixes, including five off the final eight balls he faced.
Cooper helped South Australia score an incredible 90 runs off the final four overs, with his unbeaten 81 coming off just 46 balls.
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