Kurtis Patterson’s unbeaten half-century led the New South Wales Blues to victory over the Queensland Bulls by five wickets in the one-day cup at the Gabba on Friday.

With 10 runs required off the last over, Patterson (50 not out) hit a six off the first ball from Ben Cutting (0-70) and the Blues went on to pass Queensland’s 243 all out, with three balls to spare when Ryan Carters (17 not out) hit the winning runs.

Opener Peter Nevill top-scored with 74 as NSW beat Queensland for the second time in five days.

Former South Australia seamer Peter George (3-30) had an impressive debut for Queensland taking the first three wickets but he lacked support from his new teammates, with Cutting in particular off colour.

George’s fellow Bulls debutant Simon Milenko hit 54 off 39 balls which along with five drops from the Blues lifted the hosts to a competitive total.

Former Test bowler Doug Bollinger (3-30) and Pat Cummins (3-60) helped put the Blues in a position to win the match.

The Bulls, chasing a third straight one-day cup, now have one win and two defeats in this year’s competition, while NSW have won three from three.

Cummins, who has had a nightmare run of injuries since winning his only Australian Test cap in 2011, is happy with his early season form and delighted to come back into such a successful side, after returning from Australia Twenty20 duty.

“It was quite a nice deck to bowl on, one or two overs let me down but overall I’m quite happy,” Cummins said.

“It’s about trying to bowl good pace and being accurate and that doesn’t always go hand in hand.

“It’s a dream start and against Queensland twice who are the reigning premiers.

“We couldn’t be happier. All the batsman have had a score in the first three games and the bowlers have been firing.”

George, who also has a lone Test cap to his name, is hoping this performance can reinvigorate his career which waned in South Australia before his release earlier this year.

“The ball seems to be coming out well so I’m trying to make the most of it,” George said.

“The result wasn’t ideal but I really enjoyed playing out on the big stage.”