Sport
12 December, 2025
A reserve washed out due to Saturday’s rainfall
Saturday’s wet weather forced all A reserve games to be cancelled, meaning teams now have just two rounds before the Christmas break to move themselves up the ladder.
Avoca currently leads the A reserve pack after going undefeated in their first five games back in senior cricket.
Bulldogs talisman James Collicoat has so far been one of the players of the season, currently sitting second in the league’s top run-scorers with 169 runs and third in the wicket-taking charts with 12 breakthroughs.
Collicoat is a key fixture of Avoca’s vaunted bowling attack, which has bowled out all five of its opponents this season.
While Glen Cosgriff headlines with 13 wickets, the likes of Tyson Gray and Brad Palmer ensure opposing batters can’t rest on their laurels.
The Bulldogs’ undefeated streak will face a severe test when they travel to Hedges Oval to play Colts Phelans.
Last season’s runners-up currently sit in third with a four-game winning streak to their name. The Colts have had a flair for the dramatic this season, with four of their games decided by 25 runs or less.
Daniel McGregor has continued his exceptional form from last season with 103 runs and 11 wickets in just four matches, creating a formidable all-round tandem with UK import Luke Patterson.
After a bye, an abandoned match, and a defeat to open their premiership defence, Clunes has flown into the finals places with dominant wins over Carisbrook and Beaufort Blue as well as a nail-biting triumph over MKM.
While Paul Coon and Adam Clark continue to cause problems for opposing top orders, already taking a combined 18 wickets this season, the Magpies can also cause damage with the bat, led by Mark Jenkin, who has scored 97 in his last two knocks.
Jenkin and Clunes will look to keep the good times rolling when they visit a Laanecoorie Dunolly side desperate for a statement win to resuscitate their season.
After stunning the competition with a 129-run opening round victory over Beaufort Blue, led by Steven Dellavedova’s 150, Laane have gone winless in their last four games, and sit 15 points adrift of the top four.
Another team outside the top four is MKM, which fell from being at the top of the table after round three to fifth place with back-to-back defeats.
However, with Jarrod Nedel-kovski and Sebastian Borg already surpassing 100 runs this season, and star all-rounder Muhammad Haseeb Khan headlining a frightening bowling arsenal with a league-leading 13 wickets, MKM clearly has the talent to compete for finals.
MKM will be playing the sixth-placed Beaufort Red at Ron Sinclair Oval on Saturday, who can place themselves into the finals discussion with a victory.
While their bowling has been outstanding this season, with Benjamin Grant leading the charge with 11 wickets and Nicolas Stares assisting with nine, Beaufort Red have struggled to score defendable totals, currently ranking dead last in runs scored this season.
Round eight will conclude with a bottom-of-the-table clash as Beaufort Blue host Carisbrook.
Despite their poor starts this season, both teams are well-equipped to make a late-season surge for the finals places.
Carisbrook proved they can compete with the best in the league by knocking off Colts Phelans by four runs back in round two.
Captain Jarryd Coghlan has led from the front with the bat, scoring 118 runs to sit fifth in the competition’s run-scoring charts.
After playing no cricket in two weeks due to a washout against Maryborough and a bye last round, Beaufort Blue have the chance to hit the reset button on their season with their first win.
Adam Miller has been a bright spot for Beaufort Blue, leading the team in runs scored (114) and wickets taken (seven).
Second-placed Maryborough will have to wait another week to return to the field, scheduled to have a bye in round eight.