Sport
11 January, 2024
Clunes looking to complete big outright win
With first innings points secured, Clunes will be looking for an outright victory in the hopes of making a big statement to the rest of the competition. he Magpies made hay on a pitch which improved throughout the day’s play as day one concluded...
With first innings points secured, Clunes will be looking for an outright victory in the hopes of making a big statement to the rest of the competition.
he Magpies made hay on a pitch which improved throughout the day’s play as day one concluded, dominating with the ball to rout Carisbrook for 62, before some good batting from Jude McGuire and Mitch Coppick allowed them to finish the day’s play on 5/177.
Coppick’s 61 continued what’s been a terrific season for the Clunes leader, marking his third 50 of the season and pushing his average past 40 in the process, ranked sixth in the competition.
McGuire, in the meantime, scored 57 in his best return for the season in A grade, and provided some much-needed confidence for the young wicketkeeper going forward.
Carisbrook will be desperate to avoid the fate which befell them in the first innings, losing constant wickets and being unable to maintain a long stay at the crease.
Only Dean Nalder, Martin Mark and son Cooper were able to stay the course for 20 or more deliveries last Saturday, with Nalder top scoring with 27 from 55 deliveries.
Martin looked to play defensive before he was undone by a Lachlan Morganti delivery for three, while Cooper provided good support to Nalder for a period of time with seven runs before Jaxon Smyth bowled him.
A positive for Carisbrook, despite their batting collapse, was the form of new recruit Ritik Yadav.
Despite scoring just four runs with the bat, Yadav had good figures with the ball, with his 14 overs bringing three wickets and seven maidens, conceding just 16 runs for the afternoon.
On the flipside, Clunes’ bowlers will be looking for more wickets tomorrow after an enjoyable stint last weekend.
Jaxon Smyth had his best weekend of the season, moving to the top of the Magpies’ wicket-taking charts with his 4/12 — his best figures of the season.
Morganti also had a spectacular outing with 3/12, his best return of the season so far.
Add in Noah Davies’ two wickets, and it now means the Magpies have six players who have taken five wickets or more this season — boding well for their attempt to snatch the flag away from Laanecoorie Dunolly.
