Sport
25 March, 2025
Clunes complete a premiership repeat
Clunes have gone back-to-back, swooping Colts Phelans in a gripping A reserve grand final by four wickets to return the shield to Bull Millgate Oval.
After winning the toss, the Magpies sent the Colts in to bat first, hoping to replicate their splendid bowling performance against Maryborough in the semi-final.
Dylan and Noah Davies were tasked with removing the Colts’ opening pairing of Aaron Balzan and Graham Taylor, who have been incredibly effective with the bat this season.
The Davies duo didn’t disappoint, with Noah dismissing Taylor for six after he popped a ball straight to the waiting arms of Paul Coon and Dylan trapping Balzan LBW for 6.
With the Colts in a not-ideal position at 2/30, David Forde and Kane Shepherd were asked to stem the bleeding.
However, those opening breakthroughs inspired confidence in the Clunes bowling attack, and they were suddenly on fire.
First, young gun Brett Coon grabbed the big wicket of Forde, bowling the league-leading run scorer for 11.
Then, Dylan Davies was back in action a few overs later, forcing the new man in Dean Walker to sky a ball into the gloves of wicketkeeper Fred Penhall for three.
Harrison Blomeley got in the fun for Clunes, grabbing the wicket of Shepherd for six after he was caught by Eric Downs to have the Colts in a world of trouble at 5/52.
The Magpies certainly had their tails up, and were poised to reduce a finals opponent to less than 100 for a second week running.
The Colts were desperate for Dan McGregor and Peter Egan to build a strong partnership to stabilise their innings.
On the biggest stage, the pair delivered, batting with controlled aggression on their way to a vital 53-run partnership.
Noah Davies broke the critical stand by removing McGregor for 28 when he was caught by Dylan Davies.
Jonathan Melton joined Egan in the middle at 6/105, and the duo built on their side’s newfound momentum.
As the Colts brought themselves back into the contest, the Magpies were determined to regain the potency they displayed at the start of the innings.
Their captain Josh Dunn provided an opening by bowling Melton for nine, before Dylan Davies was at it again, producing a moment of magic in the field to run out Grant Rogers for a duck to put the Colts at 8/128.
Clunes continued to make chances for themselves, but couldn’t convert as Egan and new batsmen Daniel Vadala made the most of their extra chances.
They would add a valuable 38 runs to the total before Egan was run out on the last ball of the innings by Paul Coon, ending a suburb innings at 62 and getting the Colts to 9/166.
The Davies duo were the pick of the bowlers for Clunes, finishing with identical figures of 2/29 from their eight overs.
While tasked with a much more challenging run chase than their semi-final victory against Clunes, the Magpies entered their innings with some confidence knowing they surpassed 185 the last time these teams met in round eight.
Their confidence took a hit when towering youngster Tate Williams removed opener Mark Jenkin for seven when he was caught by Forde.
The talented youngester would strike again, dismissing under 16 Colts’ teammate Brett Coon for five when he was given out LBW.
McGregor continued dismantling the top order, removing Lucas Fudge for 12 after he was caught by Balzan and suddenly the Colts were in the driver’s seat.
Sitting at 3/27, the Magpies’ bid for consecutive A reserve premierships looked to be slipping through their wings.
Enter Mitch Coppick and Daniel Fordham, whose performances will be remembered by the Clunes’ faithful for a long time.
After navigating their first few overs together, the duo attacked after the drinks break, hitting 15 boundaries as the Colts looked for answers.
The partnership got the Magpies on the edge of premiership glory, but the Colts insisted on making them earn it.
With the Magpies only needing 22 runs, Walker ended the 118-run partnership with a brilliant caught and bowled to remove Fordham for 55.
An extra four runs were scored before a fresh spell from Williams was the recipe for Coppick’s wicket, as his innings ended at 62 when he was caught by Bayden Macintyre.
Dylan Davies and Fred Penhall would get the Magpies six runs away from victory before Walker would cause another scare, dismissing Dylan Davies for four thanks to a Vadala catch.
The nerves were finally put to rest when Penhall hit the winning runs with 26 balls to spare, handing Clunes the title.
Clunes captain Dunn said the achievement means the world to the club.
“It’s unbelieveable, the club has never gone back to back in its 50 year history with the MDCA so it’s such a great achievement and to be able to share it with these great blokes, there’s nothing better,” he said.
“It was a great game, I appreciate Colts, they are a great club, they have also got the A grade team in the grand final which is a hard thing to do.
“We had the belief [during the regular season], all we needed was to sit down, have some discussions about some hard truths, get some consistency in the team and backing ourselves to play positive cricket.
“We spoke before the game about how there would be moments throughout the game that could dictate the result.
“We had some good moments and some bad moments in the field but we tried to stay calm and composed and it worked dividends.
“The guys with the bat, I couldn’t have asked for a bigger job, Coppick and Fordham put on a 100-run partnership which was unbelieveable.”