Victoria has taken a giant step towards reaching an astonishing eighth successive domestic cricket final after moving to second on the Ford Ranger Cup table by beating New South Wales in a virtual mini elimination final at the MCG on Wednesday.
In a rain-shortened game the Bushrangers did it the hard way after having their original victory target of 225 off 50 overs reduced to 213 off 44 overs - after rain caused a 30-minute delay during the 13th over of the Vics' reply.
And when Nathan Bracken claimed the key wickets of opener Aaron Finch (44) and acting skipper David Hussey (45 off 40 balls) in successive balls in the 21st over, the home side looked in trouble at 4-110.
But all-rounder Andrew McDonald (42 not out) and keeper Matthew Wade (50 off 64 balls) got the Bushrangers home with eight balls to spare to leave the team equal on 21 competition points with Queensland at the top of the one-day table with one round remaining.
New South Wales is now all but out of contention after the two teams had gone into this fixture level on points.
The Bushrangers are aiming to become the first team ever to win all three domestic titles in the one season this year - having made the final of all three competitions both last season and the season before (winning just one on each occasion) as well as having already captured a fourth Twenty20 title in just five seasons this year.
And with the Vics also on top of the Sheffield Shield table - ahead of Friday's MCG clash against the bottom-placed Blues - their tilt at history is well and truly alive.
But veteran batsman Brad Hodge will have to wait a little while longer for his own slice of history after failing to break Jimmy Maher's record for most runs ever in Australia's domestic 50-over competition on Wednesday night.
The 35-year-old went into the match needing to score just 21 runs to surpass former Queensland batsman Maher's record of 4589 runs in the domestic 50-over competition but fell for just five.
Earlier a superb spell of bowling by forgotten Victorian leg spinner Bryce McGain ensured the Bushrangers would only have to chase a modest target.
McGain took 3-37 while paceman Dirk Nannes took 3-40 as the Blues squandered a promising start before being bowled out in the final over.
Former Test openers Phil Jaques and Phillip Hughes put on 90 for the first wicket but certainly batted in contrasting fashion.
Jaques was the only Blues batsman to look at ease in the humid conditions in cracking a near-run-a-ball half-century while Hughes batted painfully slow and looked anything but the player who not so long ago was anointed the next great batting hope of the Australian team.
When Jaques brought up his 50 in only the 15th over Hughes had scored just 14 with Jaques eventually contributing exactly two-thirds of the pair's first-wicket stand before falling for 60 in the 20th over.
Jaques, whose runs came off just 65 balls, gave McGain his first wicket when he put the ball down the throat of substitute fielder Aiden Blizzard at long-on.
Exciting all-rounder Steven Smith was then promoted to No.3 but he did not last long before smacking McGain straight to Rogers at mid-wicket to fall for eight.
His wicket sparked a collapse of 3-13 as Blues skipper