BRISBANE - Queensland proved a pest for Western Australia tonight when it sent its arch-rival limping into next weekend's one-day cricket final with a loss at the Gabba.

The Bulls - and the Warriors for that matter - had little to gain from tonight's contest but Queensland ignored the points table and cruised to a 65-run win in their final preliminary match of the Mercantile Mutual Cup. With Martin Love (124) and Jimmy Maher (87) stoking the fire, the Bulls surged to 8-306 from their 50 overs before dismissing the Warriors for 241 in the final over.

The visitors were already assured of hosting next weekend's final before they walked on to the Gabba but they will need a better showing at home to defend their title.

They were down and virtually out in the second over after the dinner break when Ryan Campbell (four) and Simon Katich (zero) fell within three balls. The small crowd then watched the Bulls end their disappointing season on a sound note, defusing a century stand from Murray Goodwin (59) and Mike Hussey (57) to record their third consecutive win.

The Bulls batsmen had hoped to hit one of the eight sponsor's signs around the boundary to collect a $250,000 jackpot but they at least garnered some confidence ahead of Sunday's first-class match between the teams.

Love's innings could yet prove lucrative if it pushes the talented right-hander closer to his first Australian touring berth.

The Ashes trip in four months isn't out of the question if Love continues the form which delivered his maiden domestic one-day century in front of national selector Trevor Hohns.

The 26-year-old played a typically calm but effective innings, reaping plenty of runs from the pull shot he added to his artillery this season. His 174-run partnership with Maher laid the foundations for the Bulls, enabling Maher to pass a significant milestone.

The colourful left-hander became just the fourth batsman to reach 2000 runs in Australian domestic cricket, moving to 2,035 runs behind Matthew Hayden (2,162), Darren Lehmann (2,130) and Dean Jones (2,122).

The Bulls were well on the way to a big total when Maher was the second batsman out after skying a catch to Murray Goodwin from the bowling of Brad Hogg (1-54 from 10 overs).

Kade Harvey (3-47 from 10) and Jo Angel (2-52 from nine) also chipped in but an expensive three-over stint from Brendon Julian (0-32) did nothing for the Warriors' cause.

The Warriors were even spared the venom of Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds, who was pushed down the batting order in a mysterious reshuffle. Instead of coming in at 2-178 in the 29th over, Symonds was held back until the 43rd over with Queensland 4-254.

He added just 10 runs in seven balls while Love completed his 129-ball knock.

The Bulls were then well-served by returning paceman Joe Dawes (2-29 from 10) and rookie off-spinner Nathan Hauritz (2-56 from 10) as the bowlers shared the wickets.

© 2001 AAP