NEWCASTLE pair Aaron Bills and Logan Weston have both performed strongly on debut as the Bush Blues opened their Australian Country Championships campaign with a victory.
Wests leg-spinner Bills took 3-37 and Stockton batsman Weston made 52 as NSW Country defeated South Australia Country by six wickets in Canberra on Friday.
The Bush Blues won the toss and, with an almost all-Newcastle attack, dismissed SA for 187 at Neil Bulger Oval before reaching the one-day target four down in the 35th over.
Bills and NSW Country captain Nick Foster (2-34), an off-spinner from Stockton, claimed five wickets between them and bowled out during the middle overs.
University's Josh Bennett (2-33), Wallsend's Pat Magann (1-31) and Waratah-Mayfield's Josh McTaggart (0-47) were the quicks.
SA lost 5-14 at one stage to be 9-127 before a tenth-wicket partnership of 60 helped save the innings.
The Bush Blues made light work of the chase with the top order doing most of the work, featuring 97 from Western representative Nic Broes.
Opener Broes and Weston, batting at No.3, combined for a second-wicket stand of 96. They took the total from 1-38 to 2-134.
Stockton's Jeff Goninan chipped in with 10.
The national tournament pauses on Saturday. NSW Country meet the Philippines on Sunday.
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