Sport
23 January, 2026
Clunes attempts to build on win against Laane
Fresh off their long-overdue winless breaking triumph against Beaufort last weekend, Clunes will attempt for more success when they host league powerhouse Laanecoorie Dunolly.
The Magpies have been deserving of a victory with their performances this season and after 20 games and 22 months to the date, it finally came to fruition with a three-wicket triumph over the Bulls.
The trio of Noah Davies, Brett Coon and Ahmed Rehman produced some exceptional spells of bowling in the first innings, while Mark Allen became an unlikely source of wickets, removing Jarrod Blandford and Adam Miller.
Chasing 172, virtually all of Clunes’ bats contributed, with seven of their nine batters reaching double digits, including Allen, who top-scored with 35 and valuable knocks from Davies, Mitch Coppick and Jude McGuire.
With their finals hopes reinvigorated as they now trail the fourth-placed Bulls by just 12 points, Clunes should welcome the Laane contest with some confidence, especially with how they have challenged the one-day premiers this season.
After bowling the Magpies for 107 thanks to a 4/13 performance from elite spinner Alex Cook and a three-wicket haul from young gun Joe Lovel, Laane looked poised to open the season with a dominant victory.
That wasn’t the case, as a Davies and Coon led pace attack made a usually sturdy lineup crumble to lose five wickets for 18 runs before Sam Bartlett secured Laane’s three-wicket win.
When the two teams met again in round 10, a 62-run partnership between Allen and Coppick was the platform for the Magpies to set a reasonable target of 153.
Laane opener Tom Hart took it upon himself to obliterate that objective, turning on god mode with 13 fours and three sixes as he blasted his way to an unbeaten 105, the second century of the MDCA A grade season.
As they look to complement their newly retained one-day crown with a two-day premiership, it will be interesting to see how Laane attempts to make the most of their stacked bowling depth, especially with the arrival of Amar Ullah.
Laane is the only team to have eight players take at least five wickets so far this season, giving captain Tom Hannett plenty of options to obtain wickets.