Blues hold off the Maroons in an Origin-style triathlon stoush

IT was a true State of Origin battle with NSW triumphing over their Queensland rivals at the Australian elite mixed relay triathlon championships in Devonport.

The Blues team of Gillian Backhouse, Josh Ferris, Emma Jeffcoat and Brandon Copeland played to their strengths to secure a definitive victory over competitive Queensland and Western Australian teams on Saturday.

Gold Coast-based Copeland said he was really pleased with the result.

“Full credit to these guys, they put me in a great position and I was able to finish it off,” Copeland said.

“I just had to be smart and not stack it on the bike or something and we were pretty well guaranteed to come away with it in the end.”

Ferris, an under-23 competitor, relished the opportunity to support his senior counterparts.

“It’s an awesome experience for someone like me, just coming into under-23 racing and getting exposed to the elite racing,” he said.

“These guys were great and they welcomed me with open arms.”

NSW, Queensland and Western Australia played a game of cat and mouse from the start.

Kelly-Ann Perkins was a standout for Queensland in the first leg, finding breathing room late on the run to tag teammate Matt Roberts into the lead.

Ferris and Luke Schofield (joint NSW/Qld) were hot on his heels, with the pair running down Roberts heading into the third change.

Jeffcoat capitalised on Ferris’ hard work to breakaway from Queensland’s Emma

Hogan and NSW rival Caitlin Sendt to put her team firmly at the front.

Gold Coast-based Jaz Hedgeland brought the Western Australian team back into contention with a stellar bike leg to be in third position behind Hogan and Jeffcoat.

With Jeffcoat handing off to Copeland in a handy lead, the Kingscliff triathlete just needed to keep his calm and execute a smart and clean race.

Gold Coast’s Matt Hauser (Qld) and Luke Bate (WA) closed the gap but Copeland kept his cool to get the NSW team over the line for the win.

Hauser brought the Queensland team home for second, while Bate’s WA team was third.

Queensland won the junior relay, with Kelsey Mitchell, Brad Course, Bridget McCormack and Jordan Rieck edging out another Queensland team.

A DEBUTANT wicketkeeper and the team’s No.11 have saved The Southport School’s undefeated start to the GPS cricket season from an unthinkable loss to Brisbane State High School.

TSS was flying high in the first innings as four wickets to all-rounder Lachie Crump left Brisbane in a 7-68 bind but a collapse of its own left the tail to save the day.

Chasing 130 for victory, No.9 Daniel Statham arrived at the crease for the first time in his First XI career with his side 8-116 and more than nine overs remaining.

The following over spinner Liam O’Connor was dismissed, leaving Year 10 student Statham and No.11 Tom Kelly to survive the remaining overs and fight for the winning runs.

Statham’s five from 43 deliveries paired well with the more free-flowing play of Kelly, who scored nine from 17 balls to win the day with three overs to spare.

There were nervous scenes on the sidelines for the players and coach Ross Wallace.

“It was an exciting finish but it never should have been that close,” the veteran coach said.

“We didn’t bat well at all and we only got home because a couple of young blokes got us there.

“We’re coming up against some good sides in the next four weeks and if we play like we did we won’t be in the mix.”

Southport struggled to put Brisbane away in the first innings with the final three wickets adding 60 runs.

Those would prove invaluable as TSS’s batting woes set in.

Openers Louis Chabert and Tom Gossett were dismissed for 17 and 14, while No.3 Crump fell for a six-ball duck.

Leading runscorer Jack Sinfield led again with 21 but well below his average of 83.

Miscues will be forgiven thanks to Statham and Kelly but focus must now turn to the biggest match of the season against premiership contender Brisbane Boys’ College on the Village Green next Saturday.

With one defeat to its name already, BBC cannot afford another, while TSS has a chance to all but tip a rival out of the race.