Sport
31 January, 2025
Brook seek to end Laane’s reign
Fresh off their biggest win of the season, Carisbrook will face the substantial task of ending the 57-game unbeaten run of five-time reigning March premiers Laanecoorie Dunolly.
A multitude of standout performances set the stage for Carisbrook to hold on in a nail-biter against Beaufort.
Dean Nalder was electric with the bat in the first innings, making 67 not out from 75 balls while Brayden Wright and Jordan Hooper fought hard to get the total up to 149.
With the ball, Lucas Hurse was exceptional in disrupting the Crow’s top order before Ritik Yadav made a marvellous return to spin Carisbrook to victory, finishing with figures of 4/36.
They will need a similar performance when they travel to Deledio Recreation Reserve to stand any chance of toppling Laane, who will be playing their first game in 2025.
It has been another perfect campaign for Laane so far, who will hope to celebrate their 50th anniversary with another premiership to go with One Day success earlier this season.
They boast three of the top four batters who have made over 300 runs this season, with Tom Hannett’s league-leading 390 runs complemented by new recruits Alex Cook (345 runs) and Kamaljot Romana (324 runs).
Laane also possesses similar depth in the bowling department, with Cook, Daniel Romeo and Joe Lovel making up a third of all bowlers who have claimed double-digit wickets.
That doesn’t even mention the performances of Zach Graham, Thang Nguyen and Romana who have combined to take 18 wickets.
Laane will have plenty on weapons to shoot down Carisbrook over the next fortnight, however, the visitors contain some firepower of their own.
2023/24 Team of the Year member Nalder has been the key player so far for Carisbrook in their second season back in A grade, currently sitting atop the run and wicket-taking charts for his side.
Liam Hurse is not far behind Nalder in the batting department, with his 171 runs this season good enough for the top 10 in the competition.
The return of Yadav will certainly improve Carisbrook’s bowling attack which has seen key contributions from Cole Harris and Atticus Cullinan who have taken six wickets each this season.
These two teams have only faced each other once this season, with Laane winning that round six clash by 209 runs.
Romana, Cook and Matt Smith set the tone for Laane, each making 86, 80 and 77 respectively to give their team a score of 325 before Lovel excelled with the ball, taking 5/24 from 6.1 overs.
The last time Carisbrook defeated Laane in A grade was nearly a decade ago on October 31, 2015, when current Laane player Sam Bartlett scored 99 for Carisbrook to set up a 33-run victory.