It wasn't so much mate against mate but it surely was state against state at Braves Ballpark yesterday when two Aussie women's teams met in the fast pitch series of the NZ Masters Games in Wanganui.
It was the match-up of the Freshwater Crocodiles from New South Wales - Sydney to be precise - and Bombers Babes from Ipswich in Queensland.
The State of Origin match-up is the annual historic rugby league series which pits New South Wales against Queensland.
Yesterday's match-up wasn't of that sort of intensity, yet it was close. But the Crocs appeared to have the measure of Babes pitcher Meryl Lynch (48) and were comfortably ahead when the Chronicle called yesterday afternoon.
The Crocs players are familiar faces at Wanganui's NZ Masters, having picked up a bronze the last time they appeared here in 2009.
"We were in Dunedin in 2011 and picked up a bronze there as well," team member Tracey Faets said.
They garnered another bronze in the slow pitch series that organisers managed to squeeze in when the rains finally stopped late Tuesday afternoon.
At 39, Danielle Maskell and Lynda Robertson are the youngsters in the Crocs line-up; the bulk of the team are in their 50s and early 60s.
But 50-year-old Faets said age wasn't the issue.
"We've got a good team here," she said. "We've been playing together for more than 10 years and play in a regular Saturday competition back home. We've won a few grand finals, too."
Once the games are over, the Crocs are driving back to Wellington for a day or two of relaxation before flying home
