Hodge delivers Victoria win in practice match

Victoria 9 for 236 (Hodge 56, S Smith 3-45) beat New South Wales 7 for 235 (Hughes 62, Rohrer 51) by 1 wicket
Scorecard

Brad Hodge showed no ill-effects from a cold Melbourne winter, posting 56 from 58 balls as Victoria sneaked home for a one-wicket win over New South Wales in their practice match in Lismore. The teams are warming up for the Champions League Twenty20 in a triangular 50-over and 20-over series that also features Tasmania.

The first match was a tense 50-over encounter, reduced to 40 overs due to a damp pitch, and the openers Phillip Hughes and Moises Henriques (38) gave New South Wales a strong start. Hughes top scored with 62 and the 105-run opening stand allowed the Blues to post 7 for 235.

However, Victoria's chase was guided well by Hodge, who had a lucky let-off on 12 when he was bowled off an Aaron Bird no-ball. Hodge went on to post his half-century and the stand-in captain David Hussey contributed 39 as Victoria got home with 20 balls to spare. The series was to continue on Wednesday with a 50-over game between New South Wales and Tasmania.