South Australia 230 (Head 76, Carey 70, Sutherland 4-45, Boland 4-60) and seven for 207 (Hunt 97*) drew with Victoria 310 (Sutherland 100, Harris 85, Grant 4-82) and seven for 344 dec (Handscomb 132, Buckingham 4-78)
Hunt (97 off 326 balls) was impenetrable on Sunday, refusing simple singles for the final hour to farm the strike because the Redbacks completed 7 for 207 after 107.4 overs in unlikely pursuit of 425.
After creeping by means of the 80s at Adelaide’s Karen Rolton Oval, Hunt started the day’s closing over on 93 and glanced Will Sutherland’s fourth ball for 4. But after denying Victoria victory they denied him a century.
With two balls left and a consequence out of the equation, gamers shook arms for a draw to rob Hunt of doubtless two swings at an eighth first-class hundred.
“At the end of the day I just wanted to get off the field and have a beer,” a diplomatic Hunt mentioned of the ultimate over being reduce brief. “It’s nice to have personal success but the end result of the day was to try and get the draw.
“Boxes ticked in that regard; hopefully I can perhaps rating just a little bit faster within the subsequent sport, hit just a few extra boundaries and it could be on the playing cards. Backs towards the wall given the place we have been in early after lunch, it was the very best consequence for us.”
Victorian captain Peter Handscomb’s day-three century was followed by a late declaration, with SA surviving 12 overs to resume on Sunday at 0-38 requiring a further 387 runs for an improbable win.
Three wickets in each session extinguished hope of a successful chase, with debutant Fergus O’Neill dismissing Test pair Travis Head and Alex Carey.
Head flayed at a drive but picked out short cover to officially kill-off the chase, while Carey’s grinding innings (2 off 38 balls) was ended when wicketkeeper Sam Harper snaffled an edge while standing up to the stumps.
Allrounder Nathan McSweeney then struck a wide, looping Jon Holland full-toss to a diving Mitchell Perry at backward point to open up the tail.
Victoria engineered another wicket when Nic Maddison’s direct hit from a tight angle found Wes Agar (19 off 56) just short of his ground.
That was the only wicket to fall in the final session though, with No. 9 David Grant digging in for 45 balls without scoring to see it through with Hunt.
There were few other chances, although Hunt survived a tight lbw appeal and almost chopped a ball onto his stumps in consecutive deliveries against spinner Holland.
Sutherland went wicketless within the closing innings however had a superb sport, his first-innings maiden century adopted by a 4-wicket haul to offer Victoria an 80-run first innings lead.
