Western Australia 336 & 82 for 1 (Bancroft 30*, Wyllie 20*) beat Tasmania 179 & 236 (Jewell 121, Stobo 4-57) by nine wickets
Charles Stobo capped a superb all-round performance with a four-wicket haul as defending champions Western Australia secured a table-topping sixth win of the season and a home Sheffield Shield final after thrashing Tasmania at the WACA.
Having bowled out Tasmania for 236 in their second innings, WA easily overhauled the paltry target of 80 late on day three. Sam Whiteman, caught behind off seamer Lawrence Neil-Smith for 31, was the only wicket to fall.
Player-of-the-match Stobo, a former New South Wales player, continued to justify his selection in WA's strong attack in his first season as a contracted player with them. He helped thwart Tasmania's attempts at a comeback with the visitors losing their last eight wickets for 81 runs.
A top-order batter for his club in Perth in grade cricket, Stobo had helped take the game away from Tasmania late on day two with a career-best 38 at No.11. He shared a last-wicket partnership of 113 with skipper Mitchell Marsh, who smashed 108 in his first Shield match in almost two years.
"We knew [that by] putting the ball in the right spots, you're going to get something out of it [the surface]," said Stobo, who took seven wickets for the match. "It was about patience and then riding momentum when we took wickets."
Despite a brilliant century from opener Caleb Jewell, Tasmania's batting fell away in the second session as their chances of qualifying for the final ended.
"It's probably been the story of our season...we get ourselves into positions where we can win and then something happens. That was pretty disappointing," Jewell said.
Resuming at 1-27, still 130 runs in arrears, Tasmania were faced with defying WA's attack on a green-tinged surface. Their chances didn't bode well with Tasmania unable to muster a total of 200 runs in any of their past three innings against WA.
Tasmania's hopes sank further when Jake Doran was caught at second slip by Cameron Bancroft off Stobo for one. But Jewell combined with Macalister Wright to impressively counterattack and safely lead Tasmania to lunch.
The pitch appeared to be flattening out in sunny conditions and the batters cashed in as they notched stylish half-centuries. But an impressive Stobo ended the 124-run partnership with a good-length delivery to have Wright caught behind for 59.
Jewell was unperturbed as he moved to 97 after hooking seamer Aaron Hardie for six. In the next over, Jewell brought up his fourth century in his 28th first-class match with a boundary.
Having snapped a lean run with a ton against WA last week in the 50-over Marsh Cup, Jewell continued his strong form but lacked support as Tasmania's brittle middle-order offered little resistance.
Hardie, who has a knack for turning momentum, claimed the wickets of skipper Jordan Silk and former Test captain Tim Paine in the same over. The home side could see the finish line when Beau Webster was caught behind off left-arm quick Joel Paris for a duck. Tasmania had lost 4 for 30 with a lead of just 28 runs as their slim hopes of avoiding defeat rested on Jewell.
But Jewell fell shortly after tea when he inside-edged onto his stumps off the toiling Stobo with Tasmania's lead at 48.
The end was inevitable for Tasmania, whose disappointing domestic season across formats finishes at home against Queensland in a Shield match starting on March 14.
