Sport
29 November, 2024
A reserve round in symmetry
An important round of A reserve cricket awaits as the top four battles the bottom four.
With the split round completed, it is a three-way tie at the top end of town, with Maryborough currently on top by a minimal 0.049 quotient percentage over Colts Phelans, with Clunes a further 0.6 behind on quotient.
Laanecoorie Dunolly currently sit fourth, having dropped their past two matches to Clunes and Colts respectively.
Talbot is a further game behind in fifth, while MKM sit sixth, half a game behind, after taking their first win of the season.
Carisbrook are seventh, half a game further back, and Beaufort are last and yet to take victory.
Incredibly, the schedule this week sees first against eighth, second against seventh, third against sixth and fourth against fifth — how’s that for a piece of luck with fixturing.
Top of the agenda, then, will be Talbot hosting Laane at Talbot Recreation Reserve, with a spot in the top four perhaps up for grabs.
Laane have had their fair share of strong performers so far this season, but have taken a slight step back over the last two games, with batting collapses against Colts and Clunes costing them.
Still, Callum Liddicoat is one of the most in-form players in the competition, sitting second for runs with 166 and equal third for wickets with seven, and looming as a contender for the A reserve best and fairest.
Jayden McDonald sits equal-second on the wicket-taking list with eight wickets, while Brad McHugh is another batsman who has started strongly, scoring 91 runs.
Talbot will be hoping to get back on the winners list after a very slow start cost them against Mary-borough, with two collapses of four wickets for three runs during their batting innings as they slumped to an 85-run loss.
The Kendens, Ryan and Jack, lead the way with 100 and 81 runs respectively for the Yabbies, while Jorde Bux is having a very productive season with 77 runs and six wickets.
Clunes will host MKM at Bull Millgate Oval, with the Magpies out to continue their good form which yielded a comfortable six-wicket win last week.
Daniel Fordham’s unbeaten 53 helped him vault into third position on the run-scoring lists with 128, while Mark Jenkin, with 101 runs, has also had a strong start to the season.
On a bowling front, there has been a number of even contributors, with Josh Dunn taking five wickets, while Lucas Fudge and Jenkin have taken four apiece.
MKM have been in good form without necessarily scoring a big result, and finally got the win they deserved in their last start against Carisbrook.
There are three batsmen who have scored above 60 runs in a positive sign, with Jithin Aby Thomas (70), Muhammad Haseeb Khan (68) and Sebastian Borg (61) doing so, while Nathan Leist was a welcome inclusion from a batting and bowling standpoint last start.
Colts Phelans’ close battle with Maryborough at the top of the tree means every run and wicket will be vital against Carisbrook at Hedges Oval.
Graham Taylor has been the pick of their players so far this season, sitting seventh for runs with 108, and equal-second in the competition with eight wickets.
Counterpart Dan McGregor is also performing strongly with 70 runs, and his nine wickets is ranked number one in the competition.
Carisbrook may have only won the one game, but they also have the number one run-scorer in the competition, with Elliot Cullinan impressing in every innings so far, scoring two 50s and a 45 for 187 for the season, as well as taking five wickets.
Rohan Mackay leads the wicket-takers for the Brookers with six, while youngster Axel Purcell has been impressive, taking four wickets.
Maryborough will similarly be hoping to continue their big run when they host an improving Beaufort.
The Owls’ young guns were supreme in their last start win against Talbot, with Sam Thomson’s 64 taking him to 73 runs for the season.
Fellow youngster Lachlan Bursill leads the way with 122 runs for the season, while the experienced Bradey Tranter and Jason Hunt has 117 and 112 runs for the season.
Another youngster, Jasper Trickey, leads Maryborough’s bowlers with seven wickets to sit equal-third in the competition, while Hunt (six), Liam Maffescioni (five) and Joshua Cooper (five) have also been regulars for the Owls in the wicket-taking department.
Beaufort took a slight step back last week against Clunes, all out for 97 after they were 2/81.
Joshua Lofts was impressive in making 42, moving to the top of the Crows’ run-scorers with 69 runs, just ahead of Ben Woolidge who has 64, while Kenneth Arch’s 22 took him to 59 for the season.
Woolidge still leads the wicket-taking for the Crows with four, while Andrew Grant, Glen Cosgriff, Nathan Elford and Richard Stokes have three each.