Brad Hodge notched a career-high 144 and brought up his 5000th one-day run, but it wasn't enough as New South Wales chased down a 300-plus target with few hiccups.

WHAT HAPPENED: Points: NSW 4, Vic 0.

NSW captain Stephen O'Keefe won the toss and asked Victoria to bat in overcast conditions. A brief shower delayed the start of play for 10 minutes and saw the contest reduced to 49 overs a side at North Sydney Oval. When play got underway the visitors lost 4-78 as Moises Henriques took three wickets with his opening spell to leave the Bushrangers precariously placed.

Andrew McDonald (27 off 43) and Brad Hodge (144 off 123) put on 70 runs for the fifth wicket before Rob Quiney joined Hodge and continued the revival. The pair added 149 runs off 96 balls in a blistering partnership to guide the Bushrangers to a respectable 7-317.

The Blues made a shaky start when Jayde Herrick had Nic Maddinson caught at second slip in the third over, but the celebrations ended there for the visitors as Daniel Smith and Tim Cruickshank put on 167 runs for the second wicket. The Bushrangers removed Simon Katich cheaply before Ben Rohrer joined Smith for another century stand to seal victory.

THE HERO: Brad Hodge

The veteran turned back the clock with a brilliant 144 off 123 deliveries. After safely navigating the difficult early conditions, Hodge, who was given a life on 26 when Moises Henriques grassed a tough return catch, dominated the Blues attack. He blasted 14 fours and six sixes on the way to his highest domestic one-day score in Australia before holing out in the deep in the penultimate over of the innings. His towering six that sailed out of the ground was the highlight of a classy knock.

THE VILLAIN: Daniel Smith

Daniel Smith's sensational 185 off 123 deliveries extinguished any hope of a Bushrangers triumph. It was a fearsome display of power hitting from Smith, who set a new record for most sixes in a domestic one-day innings with 11 and added 15 boundaries for good measure. His impressive score is also the highest by a Blues player in an interstate limited-overs encounter.

DEFINING MOMENT: The moment Daniel Smith took guard.

Moises Henriques' opening spell, which saw him remove Matthew Wade, David Hussey and Cameron White, restricted the Bushrangers to a moderate total. But there was no stopping Smith as he guided the Blues to victory with 49 balls remaining.

MILESTONES:

Brad Hodge: Notched up his 5000th one-day domestic run in Australia on the way to triple figures.

Bushrangers and Blues: The Bushrangers hit 11 sixes while the Blues cleared the fence 15 times to set a new record for total sixes in a domestic one-dayer with 26.

THE UPSHOT: The effort is there but work to be done.

The Bushrangers extracted themselves from a precarious position after enduring the toughest of the conditions in the opening hour but it was not enough to avoid a second straight defeat to open their one-day campaign.

WHERE TO NOW: Bellerive Oval on November 2.

Provided they can find flights to get them home and down to Hobart, the Bushrangers will go in search of their first win of the Ryobi One-Day Cup campaign against Tasmania on Wednesday.

WHO SAID WHAT: Century-maker Brad Hodge.

"I was pleased with the knock, any time you do well in conditions that favour the bowling it's good. We were under the pump at 4-78 and it's good to be able to do well and do my job as best I could."

30 OCTOBER, 2011 Steve Orme