Sport
20 February, 2026
Beaufort, Colts and MKM star in A reserve
In the aftermath of a round 15 filled with finals contenders colliding, Beaufort Red, MKM and Colts Phelans were the main beneficiaries after crucial victories.
Colts Phelans 6/181 def Maryborough 9/114
After being the orchestrator of the Colts historic 5/0 comeback the week prior, Aaron Balzan produced another spell-binding bowling performance on Saturday, taking a hat-trick to cap off his team’s 67-run victory over Maryborough.
Fresh off participating in the MDCA’s Melbourne Country Week campaign, Josh Collinson was faultless with the bat, leading the charge as part of an 81-run partnership alongside fellow A grade regular Tarkyn Balzan.
Even with strong bowling performances from Maryborough’s Paul Jardine (2/20 off eight overs) and Jaxon Carmody (1/22 and three maidens from eight overs), Collinson’s 80 placed the Colts in a controlling position at 6/181.
Collinson wasn’t done making an impact, taking three early wickets as he and Luke Patterson had the Owls reeling at 4/20.
A pair of middle-order knocks from Sam Thomson and Daniel Petter, alongside some late flourishes from Mason Trickey and Shisir Siwakoti, added valuable runs for Maryborough, but Aaron Balzan ensured the Colts had the last laugh.
After ending his previous over by trapping Petter with an LBW dismissal for 26, Aaron Balzan opened his next over by removing Trickey for 16 thanks to a Tarkyn Balzan catch before bowling Josh Cooper to complete the hat-trick.
Carisbrook 123 def by MKM 6/171
The Mill has lessened the sour taste of their aforementioned choke job against the Colts in round 14 by overcoming finals chasers Carisbrook by 48 runs to maintain their spot inside the top four.
Brandon Carter had the hosts up and about early, removing Dylin Leist, Muhammad Haseeb Khan and Sebastian Borg in quick succession to have MKM slipping at 3/41.
Among the chaos, Chris Freeman was authoring a fine innings, anchoring the Mill’s innings with an exceptional 70.
Solid knocks from Jarrod Nedelkovski, Tristan Tack and Joshua O’Connor guided the visitors to a strong finish after their rocky start, setting Carisbrook a target of 172.
Openers Brian Knight and David Coomber got Carisbrook sailing early, but once they were dismissed for 17 and 24 respectively, MKM was able to pick apart their ship quite comfortably.
The introduction of Tack into the Mill’s attack signalled curtains for Carisbrook, with the captain taking five wickets in his first four overs to finish with 5/11 and lead Carisbrook to be bowled out for 123.
Beaufort Red 4/87 def Avoca 80
A dominant bowling performance from Beaufort Red has tamed the ladder-leading Bulldogs with a six-wicket win, closing the gap to the top of the table to just nine points.
Searching for their sixth victory in seven matches, Beaufort Red won the toss and elected to bowl at Goldfields Recreation Reserve, a decision that quickly proved wise.
After a promising start from openers Cameron Holland and William Levick, Avoca suddenly lost four wickets for nine runs, culminating in Eyan Habib, who scored a sensational 164 in his last knock, sent packing for a duck thanks to Blake Jantzen.
It’s a sustained blow the Bulldogs failed to recover from, with Jedd Gay leading the team with 16 runs before being caught and bowled by young gun Benjamin Grant.
After dismissing Gay, the teenager ruthlessly picked apart Avoca’s lower order, finishing with 4/11 and four maidens as Beaufort Red bowled the visitors out for 80.
Despite their team’s lackluster score, the terrific tandem of Glen Cosgriff and James Collicoat provided an avenue of redemption for Avoca, with Beaufort Red quickly 3/28.
Harrison Grant’s unbeaten 37 barricaded that avenue for Beaufort Red, who successfully chased down their target in the 23rd over.
Beaufort Blue 3/125 def Laanecoorie Dunolly 8/123
Beaufort Blue has virtually delivered the final nail in the coffin to Laanecoorie Dunolly’s finals aspirations by avenging their smashing defeat in the season opener with a comfortable victory.
Despite facing fantastic spells from Dan Quixley, Rory Wilkinson and Richard Stokes, Laane battled into an opportunistic position, with the hard-hitting Jayden McDonald looking to capitalise on the efforts of his openers Benjamin Smith and Steven Dellavedova.
While McDonald finished with an unbeaten half-century, Beaufort Blue’s bowling attack did a tremendous job limiting runs at the death, with Quixley, Wilkinson and Nathan Elford all taking two wickets.
Beaufort Blue opener Noah Scofield made an immediate dent into Laane’s 8/123, bashing five fours and a six on his way to making 39.
Adam Miller and Quixley followed Scofield’s footsteps with a game-clinching 59-run partnership, led by Miller’s 43 not out in his welcome return to A reserve.
Round 16
A much-anticipated local skirmish headlines Saturday’s fixtures, as the Battle of Beaufort resumes when Beaufort Red takes on Beaufort Blue.
After Beaufort’s first intraclub matchup in 36 years was washed out back in round two, both teams will be desperate to earn bragging rights.
After their impressive start and a luckless run of cancellations, Maryborough sit 12 points outside the finals spots with their last victory coming over four months ago versus Beaufort Red.
The Owls would love nothing more than to break their four-game losing skid against the team that knocked them out in last season’s semi-final, Clunes.
Carisbrook and Colts Phelans are also teams desperate to gain ground on the top four, but only one of them can do so when they collide at Jubilee Oval this weekend.
Regardless of that result, both Carisbrook and Colts will be hoping that Laanecoorie Dunolly can cause a major upset when they travel to Ron Sinclair Oval to take on the fourth-placed MKM.
