Steve Smith and Moises Henriques shared in a 126-run fifth-wicket partnership to help New South Wales beat Western Australia by 27 runs in their Ryobi Cup season opener at the WACA on Sunday.
In the earliest ever start to a domestic season, the Blues built slowly before opener Scott Henry (68) and Smith (99 not out) combined to put on 65 for the fourth-wicket.
The fifth-wicket partnership between Smith and Henriques came off just 79 balls as New South Wales surged to 5-281 off their 50 overs.
Western Australia's run chase got off to a shaky start when Doug Bollinger (4-67) dismissed opener Liam Davis (five) and Adam Voges for a duck.
Some lusty late innings hitting from Mitch Marsh saved the Warriors from handing the visitors a bonus-point win.
Debutant Sam Whiteman offered resistance along with Marsh with a steady 52-run stand before Steve O'Keefe trapped Marsh lbw for 37.
In the Blues innings, Henriques' 78 off 45 balls included five sixes with two off former Australian paceman Mitchell Johnson and two in one Nathan Coulter-Nile over.
Johnson had started well and conceded just 12 off his first seven overs before he finished with figures of 2-68 off 12 overs as Smith and Henriques took to his bowling.
Australian captain Michael Clarke (one) was caught at second slip by Shaun Marsh when he slashed at a wide Johnson delivery.
Haddin (seven) suffered a similar fate guiding a wide Mitch Marsh delivery to Shuan Marsh in the slips cordon.
The Warriors run chase petered out as the required run rate got approached 10 an over with 20 overs left.
North fell for 18 (31 balls) off Sean Abbott as Western Australia looked to pick up the run rate.
Tom Triffit fell just two balls into the batting power play in the 36th over and they only avoided handing the visitors a bonus point win through Mitch Marsh's (78) and Coulter-Nile's (29) lower-order hitting.
First Posted 16 September, 2012 9:13PM AEDT
