Hussey hundred the bitterest pill for WA

Victoria 3 for 550 (Elliott 182, Moss 149*, Hussey 121*) lead Western Australia 151 by 399 runs
Scorecard

Victoria proved they were the kings of the road with a royal batting performance against a woeful Western Australia at the WACA. In reply to WA's 151, Victoria were 3 for 550 at the close of the second day, with Jon Moss (149*) and David Hussey (121*) still at the crease.

If it were a boxing contest, the towel would have already been thrown in, but the dispirited Western Australians will have to front up again tomorrow to tackle a near impossible task to save the match.

Victoria utterly dominated the opening day by dismissing WA for 151 and cruising to first innings points by the close. But the wheels completely fell off today with Victoria showing the benefits of their gruelling off-season training program by grinding WA into the dirt.

Elegant Matthew Elliott (182) outscored WA's first innings on his own first dig with a majestic knock to set up Victoria's drive for a healthy buffer on top of the Pura Cup table heading into the New Year. Elliott moved beyond 8000 domestic first-class runs as he flayed the WA attack, only giving the one chance when debutant Michael Thistle dropping a tough return catch on 43 yesterday.

WA spilt another difficult chance with Marcus North failing to grasp Moss on 18 as stand-in captain Murray Goodwin's debut outing at the helm turned into a nightmare.

Moss and Hussey hit the accelerator in the final session and destroyed any remaining morale in the WA camp with a record fourth wicket-stand of 246 in 324 balls, breaking a 46-year-old record for a fourth-wicket stand in matches between the states.

After resuming at 1 for 168, medium-pacer Peter Worthington ended Matthew Mott (78) and Elliott's 179-run second wicket stand when he had the Moss caught behind for the only wicket to fall in the opening session. Swing bowler Callum Thorp (1-80) was the other wicket-taker today, trapping Elliott in front in the middle session.

However, WA unravelled in the field in the evening as Goodwin introduced his eighth bowler, Shaun Marsh, who was smashed for 19 runs in his fourth over.

Moss chalked up his third first-class hundred as he and Hussey compiled their highest Pura Cup scores. But it was the ton by Hussey, who left WA two summers ago because he was unwanted, that rubbed salt into the wound for local selectors. He was dropped by Ryan Campbell, the wicketkeeper, on 75, and went on to bring up his third hundred in five Pura Cup matches this season.

If WA do go down to defeat, as looks likely, they face the ignominy of picking up the wooden spoon in the domestic four-day competition for the first time since 1977-78.