Summer is still just under a month away but another Victorian one-day cricket campaign is already lost.

The Bushrangers, bottom last season, lost their fourth straight game of this series when South Australian won at Punt Road here today with four balls left.

A six over long-on from wicketkeeper Graham Manou rescued the Redbacks from a late stutter and they reached 6-210 a ball later to pass Victoria, which had made 9-209 from 50 overs.

Bushrangers captain Matthew Elliott was offering no excuses but pleaded for patience as the side tries to develop several talented young players.

"Once again, we almost got there and that sort of describes our all-round game," Elliott said.

"We almost batted really well, we almost bowled really well, we almost fielded really well - and that's why we've gotten so close but haven't got over the line."

When asked how difficult it would be to play six dead rubbers for the rest of the ING Cup season, Elliott replied: "They might be dead in terms of us making the finals but they're not dead in terms of our development.

"We've got to keep persisting with our younger players and be patient with them - I think we've got some of the best young players around.

"It's not the time to start chopping and changing because we need to keep developing."

Elliott added results might not come for another 12 months but said that was the reality that had to be faced.

Victoria also lost a close one-dayer to Queensland last weekend here and inconsistent batting meant the Bushrangers were in trouble here.

Openers Elliott (23) and Ian Harvey (16) and No.3 Brad Hodge (14) all made good starts, but Victoria slumped to 3-57 before Michael Klinger (55) combined for stands with Simon Dart (32) and Jonathon Moss (37) in the middle order.

The Bushrangers again lacked a big-hitter in the middle order, failing to score a boundary from the 26th over until Darren Berry hit a four in the 50th.

Opening bowlers Jason Gillespie (2-32) and Paul Rofe (2-48) led a tight SA attack, that would have strangled Victoria but for missed catches that let off Klinger and Moss.

Berry had an eventful match, first as the culprit in an embarrassing mixup that resulted in Ian Hewett being run out late in the innings.

But he redeemed himself with a brilliant stumping of SA opener Greg Blewett that helped stop the Redbacks winning the match in a canter.

Blewett, who top-scored with 76, was caught off balance when Moss bowled a leg-side wide and Berry whipped the bails off before the batsman's foot was back on the ground.

SA always appeared in control, but Blewett's dismissal at 2-111 and two wickets in the 37th and 38th overs gave Victoria a sniff.

Darren Lehmann's 51 kept the run chase on track, but the surprise use of off-spinner Brad Hodge in the 48th over came off when he was bowled around his legs.

Harvey, the pick of the bowlers with 1-30 from 10 overs, then had Brad Young caught and bowled to set up an uncertain last over.

But big-hitting Manou dispelled any notion of a Victorian upset with a hit that nearly went onto busy Punt Rd.

© 2001 AAP