Love ready for shock return for Bulls in final

Martin Love's remarkable campaign to play in Friday's Pura Cup final against Victoria gained momentum today when he passed his first test in the Gabba nets.

Just 12 days after surgery on his broken left thumb, Love batted without any obvious problems and declared himself a likely starter for Queensland. He has only to convince selectors he can field without any problems to complete a shock return from an injury which was supposed to end his season.

Victoria also had good news today when wicketkeeper Darren Berry was declared a certain starter for the Gabba match after surviving a gruelling 40-minute fitness test.

Berry missed the Bushrangers' final preliminary match against Western Australia last weekend with a strained shoulder but was given a solid workout in Melbourne.

Love also faced a testing workout against a variety of bowlers and he was obviously delighted when he left the nets.

"It's a lot better than I thought it would be and I've got to see how it pulls up tomorrow morning," Love said.

"If it's okay and it doesn't swell, then I think I would be in. "My batting isn't a problem and it's just a matter now of coping with fielding."

Queensland selectors will have the final say on Love but he was included in a 13-man squad otherwise unchanged from the group which thrashed New South Wales last week.

Love was the Bulls' shining light before his injury, rattling up 758 runs in eight matches at an average of 84.22.

Lee Carseldine or Brendan Nash would make way for the right-hander, who would boost a batting line-up led by in-form players Stuart Law and Jimmy Maher.

The form of Law, Maher and emerging batsman Clinton Perren had already given the Bulls added confidence ahead of their stoush with the quality Victorian bowling attack.

The Bushrangers will arrive in Brisbane tomorrow with one major selection dilemma - the choice of 12th man between spinners John Davison and Cameron White.

While 30-year-old Davison has far more experience than 17-year-old White, who has played just two games, the Victorian camp is favouring playing the young leg spinner over the veteran offie.

The major reason being the Vics must win the match outright to take the title and without Ian Harvey, who is in India with the Australian one day side, are likely to opt for another attacking bowler.

"He (White) is a more a strike bowler whereas Davison is someone who bowls more to a process," Victorian chairman of selectors Shaun Graf said.

Graf oversaw Berry's fitness test today, watching as the 31-year-old dived for catches and even withstood a few tackles from Bushrangers' physio Steve Sandor.

Berry is one of just two survivors, along with skipper Paul Reiffel, from the Bushrangers' last Sheffield Shield winning team in 1990/91 and his fitness is a major boost to the Vics' hopes of ending their title drought this weekend.

QUEENSLAND: Stuart Law (capt), Jimmy Maher, Jerry Cassell, Martin Love, Clinton Perren, Lee Carseldine, Brendan Nash, Wade Seccombe, Andrew Bichel, Adam Dale, Joe Dawes, Scott O'Leary, Ashley Noffke (one to be omitted, 12th man to be named).

VICTORIA: Paul Reiffel (capt), Darren Berry, Jason Arnberger, Matthew Elliott, Matthew Mott, Brad Hodge, Michael Klinger, Jon Moss, Cameron White, Mick Lewis, Mathew Inness, John Davison (12th man to be named).