South Australia beat Victoria by an innings and 40 runs at Junction Oval in Melbourne, winning the opening match of the 2026-27 Sheffield Shield season, played over four days from October 7 to 10.
South Australia, who are the defending Sheffield Shield champions after winning the 2025-26 title, batted only once for the entire match. They scored 508 in that innings, more than Victoria's two innings combined, as Victoria were bowled out for 244 in their first innings and 224 in their second.
That combination of batting and bowling gave South Australia victory by an innings and 40 runs, the margin by which their total of 508 exceeded Victoria's combined total of 468 runs across both innings. It was a result that gave South Australia a perfect start to the defence of the Sheffield Shield title they won in the 2025-26 season, in the opening match of the new campaign.
All-rounder Ben Manenti was the batting standout for South Australia, scoring 128, his maiden century in first-class cricket. He was named player of the match for that innings and for bowling figures of 1-30 and 2-45, which gave him three wickets in the match to go with his century.
Manenti led the team as stand-in captain after regular skipper Jake Weatherald was ruled out of the match. Weatherald, South Australia's captain, was withdrawn after suffering delayed-onset concussion symptoms, and Matthew Gilkes was named as his concussion substitute for the rest of the match, with Weatherald taking no further part in the game.
Noah McFadyen made an instant impression on his first-class debut for South Australia, scoring 134, also a maiden century. Manenti and McFadyen's two centuries combined for 262 runs, just over half of South Australia's total of 508, with the rest of the order making up the remaining 246.
McFadyen also had the final say with the ball. He held on to a return catch off his own bowling to dismiss Victoria batter David Moody, the last man out, sealing the innings victory for South Australia.
Victoria also handed a debut to bowler Harry Hoekstra, who finished with figures of 6-103 against South Australia's innings of 508. Hoekstra was also Victoria's top scorer in the first innings, making 45, five runs short of a half-century, as his side was dismissed for 244.
Victoria resumed the fourth and final day of the match at 7-175 in their second innings, before being bowled out for 224. The remaining batters added a further 49 runs before Victoria folded, with Victoria batter Fergus O'Neill making 62 in that innings.
South Australia bowlers Nathan McAndrew and Henry Thornton each took three wickets as Victoria's second innings ended, sharing six of the ten wickets to fall between them.