Wests did not win a game until January 21 then won seven of their last nine. The two they lost in that run were T20 matches.

Wivell, whose unbeaten innings was the highest in Wests history, combined in a club-record partnership of 280 with James King (120) to anchor a total of 5-449.

“We picked up a bit of momentum straight after Christmas,” he said. “It’s all kind of clicking at the wrong end of the season, but good signs for next season. We’ll push into next season with this kind of form, hopefully.”

Wivell was dropped five times, including on 50 off the last ball before lunch, but rode his luck against a classy attack featuring NSW Country quick Grant Stuart, fellow representative paceman Luke Bird and Michael Radnidge, who has 38 wickets this summer.

Uni made 436 in reply in one of the highest-scoring games in NDCA history. 

Wivell’s 228 was the sixth best in NDCA first-grade history and surpassed two club greats in Rick McCosker (209 in 1986-87) and Jim De Courcy (203 not out in 1954-55). Merv Gill (211 in 1942-43) and Glenn Grimmond (218 in 2000-01) are the only other Wests players to reach 200.

He scored 436 in his last three digs of the year, lifting his aggregate to 760 at 50.67.

“When I get to 80 or 90 I’m renowned for hitting one up in the air and getting caught, but on that flat track, batting with Kingy, we just knuckled down and pushed the ones all day,” Wivell said.

“They had some good bowlers, and they were coming at us really aggressively, and that made us concentrate a bit more.

“We had to work the ones and the twos and hit the odd boundary for a while there then towards the end of the innings we picked up a bit and kind of went off a bit.”