Nic Maddinson’s first List A century in nine years powered New South Wales to a 47-run win over Victoria, under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method, in the historic first day-night fixture at Junction Oval, keeping NSW unbeaten through the opening rounds of the 2026-27 One-Day Cup, according to match reports from Cricket.com.au and the Canberra Times.
A Landmark Night At Junction Oval
The September 25 fixture marked Junction Oval’s debut as a day-night venue for domestic one-day cricket, and the occasion produced a genuine throwback innings from Maddinson, whose last List A hundred had come back in October 2017. Batting first, NSW were in early trouble at 86 for 5 before Maddinson, together with second-gamer Jake Scott, rebuilt the innings with a 112-run stand that turned the match decisively in the visitors’ favour.
Maddinson’s Innings In Detail
Maddinson finished unbeaten on 126 from 127 balls, striking six sixes along the way to post his seventh List A century and, pointedly, his first since the format’s previous era for him nearly a decade earlier. His effort anchored NSW to 257, a total that looked imposing against a Victorian attack still finding its feet for the new season. Jake Scott’s supporting 43 in the stand with Maddinson was itself a notable effort from a player new to the senior set-up, having already hit the winning runs against Queensland earlier in the same week.
Victoria’s Chase Falls Short
A rain interruption reset Victoria’s target to 260 from 49 overs under DLS, and despite healthy starts from much of the top order — Matt Short with 46, Blake McDonald with 45, captain Will Sutherland with 33 and wicketkeeper Liam Blackford with 32 — none of the Victorian batters went on to convert their starts into the substantial innings the chase demanded. Victoria were eventually bowled out for 212, handing NSW the 47-run margin. Left-arm seamer Harry Hoekstra had earlier torn through the top order in NSW’s innings, finishing with career-best figures of 5 for 42, the lone significant positive for the home side on a night otherwise dominated by the visitors. Beyond Hoekstra, NSW’s bowlers shared the remaining wickets around to close out the defence of 257: Scott Boland, playing his first competitive match since March, returned 3 for 46, while legspinner Tanveer Sangha (2 for 45), quick Ben Dwarshuis (2 for 34) and allrounder Jack Nisbet (2 for 40) all chipped in as Victoria’s chase stalled under regular breakthroughs, with the spread of wickets across four bowlers meaning the home side was never able to build the extended partnership the revised target demanded.
A Second Straight Win To Start The Season
The victory extended NSW’s unbeaten start to the One-Day Cup season to two matches, continuing the form that saw the Blues lift the Dean Jones Trophy, the state’s one-day silverware, as recently as March 2026. For a NSW side that has recently invested heavily in restructuring its leadership — Maddinson himself was separately installed as the state’s Sheffield Shield captain for the first time since 2016 — an early-season statement with the bat from their new four-day leader carries significance well beyond the scoreline.
Two Takes On The Result
From the NSW camp, the innings was read as confirmation that Maddinson, now 34, remains a genuine match-winner capable of anchoring totals rather than merely contributing cameo innings, a quality selectors value highly in both white and red-ball cricket. Victorian commentary focused instead on a batting unit that, despite four players passing 30, could not finish the job; the repeated pattern of good starts without a defining big score has been flagged by observers as the difference between the two sides on the night, with Hoekstra’s five-wicket haul offering Victoria a rare positive to build on heading into the next rounds.
What It Means Going Forward
For NSW, the challenge now is consistency: backing up a statement win with results against Tasmania and Western Australia in the matches that follow, while also managing Maddinson’s transition into leading the Shield side from October 7. For Victoria, the priority is converting their top order’s starts into match-defining scores, with Hoekstra’s career-best spell offering a bowling foundation the side can build around if the batting clicks. With the One-Day Cup running alongside the opening rounds of the Sheffield Shield, performances in this format are also likely to feed directly into national selectors’ thinking ahead of Australia’s limited-overs commitments later in the home season.
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