Western Australia's exciting batting line-up has failed to fire as the Warriors lost to a youthful New South Wales by six runs in the season's opening Ford Ranger Cup match at the WACA Ground.
After being 3-24, 5-62 and 8-123, captain Marcus North and Brett Dorey led a late rally to give the Warriors a slim chance in the last two overs. But both were bowled going for the winning runs as the home side fell short of NSW's 9-220.
North and Dorey came together with the score at a hopeless 8-123, but put on the biggest partnership of the match (87).
Dorey fell when Nathan Bracken clean bowled him for 45 from 47 balls with two fours and three sixes, while North fell for 95 off 114 balls with six fours and two sixes when Mark Cameron bowled him off the fifth last ball.
Blues spinner Nathan Hauritz celebrated his 27th birthday in style by claiming 3-21 from his eight overs and was well supported by Cameron (3-48), Bracken (2-41) and Grant Lambert (1-46).
The win was tremendous for the youthful looking Blues side as Michael Clarke, Phil Jaques, Brett Lee, Brad Haddin, Simon Katich and Doug Bollinger are all in India with the Australian team. Only Dominic Thornely, Bracken and Lambert were over 27 years of age, with five of the 11 aged 23 or under.
In reply to the Blues 9-220, WA lost Luke Ronchi without scoring in the first over, Shaun Marsh for one and Luke Pomersbach for 15 to be 3-24. They looked to be recovering through Adam Voges and North until Voges was also caught in the deep for 13.
Theo Doropoulos didn't last long either as the Warriors slumped to 5-62. David Bandy then joined North for a 43-run stand to provide some hope but when youngster Stephen O'Keefe dismissed Bandy caught and bowled for 24.
That seemed to end WA's hopes when Steve Magoffin and Aaron Heal fell cheaply quickly after, but then Dorey and North gave the home side one final hope.
Dorey and North were hitting Cameron, Bracken and Lambert to all parts of the WACA until Bracken knocked over Dorey's stumps and Cameron did the same to North with the Warriors needing seven off the last five balls.
Earlier in the day, NSW slumped to 6-124 before late order partnerships between David Warner and Lambert (40), Lambert and Bracken (26), and Lambert and Cameron (28) helped the Blues to a competitive total, of which 42 came in the final five overs.
The Blues could not manage a partnership better than 40 and 22-year-old Warner was the top scorer with 31 before Lambert's late-innings cameo saw him make 48 off 49 balls.
All the Warriors bowlers claimed at least one wicket and Dorey claimed three to lead the way despite giving up 12 runs in his first over and 18 in his last, the final of the innings.
Dorey finished with 3-48, with Aaron Heal claiming 2-35 from his 10, while Steve Magoffin, Ben Edmondson, Theo Doropoulos and David Bandy all grabbed one wicket.
Ronchi also had the best day of his career behind the stumps taking five catches and pulling off one stumping.
Young opener Phillip Hughes made a flashy start, hitting three successive boundaries from Dorey's first over, but was out for 14 soon after and Daniel Smith (13), Peter Forrest (26), Steven