A career-best haul from Bulls quick bowler Joe Dawes has helped Queensland secure first innings points on a remarkable day one of its Pura Cup match against Western Australia. Dawes claimed a sensational 6/19 as the Warriors were humbled for a miserable total of 78.

But it wasn't all smooth sailing for the Queenslanders either. Around fine innings from the ever-reliable Martin Love (62*) and an intelligently aggressive Andy Bichel (38), they lost seven wickets of their own when it quickly came their turn to bat. They finished a rain-shortened first day at 7/178 and clutching a one hundred run lead.

With an eye to a 'Gabba strip that looked in good order and gave no indication of the batting calamities which were to follow, Warriors captain Tom Moody elected that his team would bat first after he had called correctly at the toss. It was a decision that he must now wish that he had never made.

After a cautious start, the Warriors lost their first wicket when Mike Hussey (7) attempted a pull shot off Bichel (2/38), only to succeed in skying the ball straight back up the pitch and offering a simple caught and bowled.

In the next over, Marcus North (9) was dropped by Jimmy Maher at third slip in the only blot on the Bulls' copybook for the morning. However, it barely cost the home team anything - an lbw appeal from Adam Dale (2/19) meeting the requirements of Umpire Peter Parker shortly afterward.

The form of Murray Goodwin (0) at one-day level has been wonderful in recent times. But that stands in contrast to his Pura Cup form. And the gap between the two was not closed at all today, the former Zimbabwean international the victim of a magnificent catch from wicketkeeper Wade Seccombe, who was forced to hurl himself in front of first slip to intercept a thick outside edge.

For Western Australia, things had become grisly enough at 3/21 but matters continued to tumble from bad to worse. This was particularly true once Dawes entered the attack. The redoubtable right arm fast bowler enjoyed immediate success when he dismissed Brad Hogg (0) and Moody (5) in successive overs to leave the Warriors in dreadful trouble at 5/33.

Brendon Julian (22) and Simon Katich (14) halted the flow of wickets for a time but the trend was largely irresistible.

Dawes used to his advantage a helpful bowling track which contained both bounce and pace, catching the Warriors completely off guard after they had elected to bat after winning the toss. He claimed the wickets of Katich, Moody, Hogg, Julian, Matthew Nicholson (16) and Jo Angel (0) in a stint that was never short on action.

For the Western Australians, it was simply an horrific start to a match which they really need to win in order to galvanise their Pura Cup hopes. Against the backdrop of the sustained pressure that was applied by the pace trio, some poor batting also predominated. All but two of the ten players to fall lost their wickets to catches, many of them succumbing to over-aggressive strokes.

In their turn at the crease - and with only a mere seventy-nine runs needed for the acquisition of first innings points - Queensland openers Maher (16) and Jerry Cassell (6) looked for early runs, finding the boundary on two occasions before Maher was dismissed by former Test quick Nicholson. The diminutive left hander was caught at backward square leg as he attempted to powerfully pull away a short delivery.

Cassell was then joined by Love, a centurion in Friday night's Mercantile Mutual Cup encounter and the scorer of more than seven hundred first-class runs for the season. The elegant right hander wasted no time in displaying the form that could gain him selection for the upcoming Ashes tour, stroking his first delivery past mid on for a boundary.

But it wasn't all smooth sailing. Cassell was defeated by Moody's very first ball and then an early tea was taken when Bulls captain Stuart Law (2) mistimed an on drive at Julian and was caught at mid on.

It was when Andrew Symonds joined Love at the crease (with only forty runs needed by the Bulls to achieve first innings points) that the Bulls' batting moved into top gear. The one-day international star relished the situation, compiling a very well made 26 before falling to a dubious lbw decision at the hands of Moody. Bichel then joined Love and, before falling late in the day, swelled the Bulls' lead to close to the century mark. By this stage, noticeable frustration was setting in for the visitors.

Moody's spell of bowling could not be underplayed, however. It was first class medium pace bowling at a difficult time for the Warriors and his return of 4/38 told its own tale about his effectiveness. He might even have secured a fifth wicket if he had been able to hold a hot caught and bowled chance offered early in Bichel's innings.

Like so many others during the day, though, it was an opportunity squandered by the Warriors.

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