Sport
28 February, 2025
A reserve reaches crunch time for finals
Despite Beaufort producing one of the biggest upsets of the season against Maryborough, they remain three points out of finals with two rounds to play after Clunes and Talbot grabbed six points.
Beaufort 4/223 def Maryborough 7/112
The Crows are flying high with five consecutive victories following their 111-run triumph against ladder-leaders Maryborough.
With Beaufort’s A grade side having the bye, Tom Alexander stepped into A reserve and immediately made an impact, producing the highest score of the season with a magnificent 116.
Nicholas Cooper also caused some damage against the Owls bowling attack, continuing his torrid run with the bat making 79 as the duo combined for a 165-run partnership.
Sam Ross was the key man for Maryborough with the ball, producing all four breakthroughs with three wickets and a runout.
Ben Grant ensured Maryborough’s run chase stumbled out of the gates, removing openers Sam Thomson and Keegan Doherty to leave the Owls at 2/8.
Ross, Ben Hoban and Lachlan Bursill did their best to get the Owls back into the contest, but Alexander continued his white-hot form for the Crows, collecting top figures of 3/26 to lead Beaufort to their biggest victory of the season.
Bursill top scored for Maryborough with a hard-hitting 41 with five fours and a six.
Laanecoorie Dunolly 117 def by Clunes 2/127
Clunes grabbed a statement victory at Deledio Recreation Reserve, with their eight-wicket victory seriously denting Laanecoorie Dunolly’s hopes of a finals berth.
Jaxon Coon and Harrison Blomeley were a pair of wrecking balls demolishing the host’s top order, leaving Laane at 5/16.
Jacob Meyer’s 51 was pivotal in salvaging a defendable total of 117 from the rubble, with Cooper Polinelli, Jayden McDonald and Brendan Redpath pillaring Meyer’s efforts, each making 11.
Jaxon Coon would grab another wicket late to finish with 4/27 from his eight overs, while Blomeley ended up with 2/26.
After Joshua Lacey bowled Thomas Hardy for a duck to put Clunes at 1/6, Blomeley combined with Brett Coon for a 78-run partnership, setting the table for the Magpies to reach their target comfortably.
Lacey (1/14) and Callum Liddicoat (1/10) were the two wicket-takers for Laane.
Carisbrook 117 def by Talbot 6/118
Talbot holds their spot in fourth after a four-wicket victory against Carisbrook, eliminating Carisbrook from finals contention.
After openers Brian Knight and Elliot Cullinan got Carisbrook off to a decent start with a 27-run partnership, the Yabbies continued to find breakthroughs from both ends, with every bowler grabbing a wicket.
Anton Roche and Jack Kenden were the two standouts for Talbot in a true team effort, finishing with figures of 2/7 and 2/18 respectively.
William Morrison did well to combat Talbot’s potent attack, finishing with a top score of 28.
Despite the efforts of Coghlan and Cullinan, who combined to grab the first five wickets of the innings, the Talbot batting lineup was able to chip away at the total, surpassing 117 with 14 overs to spare.
Karl Gunther top-scored for the Yabbies, finishing unbeaten on 27, while Coghlan was Carisbrook’s best bowler, grabbing 3/30 from eight overs.
MKM 135 def by Colts Phelans 153
MKM gave their opponents a fright, but a Daniel McGregor led Colts Phelans managed to avoid an upset to put themselves one win away from clinching a finals place.
After Tristan Tack removed Peter Egan rather cheaply to start the innings, Colts’ Riley Govan and David Forde laid the foundation with a 37-run partnership.
McGregor made the most of those foundations, cutting loose to high-score with 42 while MKM managed to pick off his partners frequently.
Muhammad Haseeb Khan continued his strong form with the ball, finishing with 2/22 from eight overs while Jonathon Knight made the most of his four overs, collecting two wickets.
After McGregor transitioned his momentum with the bat to the ball to remove James O’Connor for naught, Tack and Khan combined for a Jekyll and Hyde 61 run partnership with Tack staying controlled while Khan mashed 10 boundaries.
Even after Khan was dismissed for 68 and Forde did considerable damage to MKM’s middle order, the hosts were in a strong position to take their third win of the season needing 22 runs with four wickets in hand.
McGregor had other ideas.
He diced through the tail as MKM lost their last four wickets for three runs to fall 18 runs short.
McGregor grabbed three of the final four wickets to finish with 5/28 from his eight overs.
David Forde also played a vital role in the Colts defending 153, grabbing 3/13 from six overs.
Round 12
The finals participants could officially be decided when A reserve enters its penultimate round of the competition.
Colts Phelans can secure a finals berth with a victory at Hedges Oval, but it certainly won’t be easy as their opponents Beaufort look to stretch their winning streak to six.
Clunes are in the same position as the Colts but also have a difficult task of taking on a Maryborough side looking to bounce back and claim the minor premiership.
Regardless of results elsewhere, Talbot can remain in the last finals slot if they can repeat their thrilling round eight victory against MKM when they successfully defended 57.
Laanecoorie Dunolly will aim to keep their slim finals chances alive when they welcome Carisbrook to Deledio Recreation Reserve.