Queensland have widened their lead at the top of the Bupa Sheffield Shield table after pulling through for a fourth straight outright win in a nail-biter against New South Wales on the final day of their clash at the Gabba.
Scorecard
Queensland have widened their lead at the top of the Bupa Sheffield Shield table after pulling through for a fourth straight outright win in a nail-biter against New South Wales on the final day of their clash at the Gabba.
The Blues were down and out and heading for defeat until Stephen O'Keefe took the initiative, swung, thumped and rode his luck to take his side to within 15 of victory before becoming the last wicket to fall with the final ball of the 57th over from Ben Cutting.
It was a thrilling ending for to a match fought closely from beginning to end.
O'Keefe was dropped twice, hit on a handful of occasions and had more than a couple of badly skyed shots fall just safe of the fielders.
Fittingly, man-of-the-match Cutting took the final wicket, finishing with 4-34 for the innings and match figures of 7-88 - thoroughly justifying his call-up to Australia A.
Chris Swan and Cameron Boyce were also instrumental to the victory, both filling their bowling roles superbly in both innings.
The Blues had resumed after lunch at 7-124 and looked certain to fold meekly, but O'Keefe (82) had other ideas and with Peter Nevill and Josh Hazlewood he found willing partners as he helped fashion consecutive 50-run partnerships for the eighth and ninth wickets.
The resilience from the New South Wales tail was in stark contrast to that of the first six, none of whom made double figures.
Boyce took up the attack from the Stanley Street end after the lunch interval, and on the decaying track he found some encouragement with thick edges and some moments of wobbly defence.
But the eighth-wicket pairing was growing in confidence, and the Bulls would have felt the first touch of nerves when their union passed a half-century in the 44th.
Consecutive off-side boundaries to O'Keefe from the bowling of Feldman brought the visitors past 150, but the breakthrough came to Boyce in the next.
Neville's remarkable concentration seemed to desert him, and when he skipped down the pitch to attack Boyce he played all over the top and lost his furniture.
O'Keefe wasn't ready to concede just yet, and with 10 runs from the first three balls of Hopes' 12th over he flew past 50.
The Blues skipper took another big six of Boyce, and then in the 53rd he went ballistic on Hopes, flailing three boundaries and finishing with 15 off the over.
The Blues needed 23 to win when Cutting was reintroduced to the attack.
O'Keefe had his third skyed shot fall agonisingly close to fielders from the first ball of the over and all of a sudden the Blues had their second straight 50-run partnership.
Hazlewood smacked Boyce past mid-off for four, bringing the deficit down to 15, but the young Queensland leggie had the result, skidding one through to knock over the stumps.
Doug Bollinger came out gingerly on his nerve damaged hamstring, but only had to block two balls from Boyce before trudging back off after O'Keefe fell to Cutting.
In the morning session the Blues had dropped like flies, with four more back in the pavilion joining Nic Maddinson, Tim Cruickshank and Simon Katich, who all succumbed in a difficult 12-over stint before stumps on the third day.
While Cutting starred for the Bulls, there were contributions from all around the ground.
Wade Townsend's four-hour 50 on the first day in trying conditions should not be overlooked, nor should Hopes' big-hitting cameo to take Queensland to a competitive lead in the second innings.
