Sport
26 November, 2024
Clunes move equal top in A reserve
Clunes are in the fight in the A reserve competition, moving to equal top after recording a comfortable six-wicket victory against Beaufort at Goldfields Reserve.
A youthful Crows team batted first, but it was Joshua Lofts who provided most of the fireworks
early.
That came despite Josh Dunn making his presence felt for the Magpies in the initial stages, getting the wickets of Nathan Elford for four and Zachery Dally for five.
Regardless, Lofts was very busy in the early stages and provided the bulk of the scoring, while also indulging in a solid 39-run partnership with Kenneth Arch.
But Lofts’ departure on 42, with Mark Jenkin breaking through for the wicket, sparked a massive collapse, with Jenkin and Paul Coon doing the damage.
Coon would take three of the next four wickets, claiming the scalps of Zac Bickerton for one, Nicolas Stares for a duck and Edward Wilkinson, also for a duck, while Jenkin got another key wicket in Arch for 22.
Noah Davies would finish with two quick wickets, getting Richard Stokes for three and Paolo Pollono for two, while Eric Downs claimed the final wicket, with Liam Sage out for nought.
Coon’s six overs saw him take 3/5, while Dunn was also terrific, taking 2/8 off eight overs, with Jenkin taking 2/17 off seven.
Clunes only needed 20 overs to chase down the target, but they had a major wobble early in the innings in losing three quick wickets.
Rory Wilkinson took two of the wickets for Beaufort, bowling Lucas Fudge for nine and luring Jenkin into a shot straight to Stares for five, before Dally had a wicket in bowling Davies.
But it was the work of Daniel Fordham that allowed Clunes to do the job, hitting seven fours and a six in a well-made 53, winning with 121 balls to spare.
Wilkinson was Beaufort’s best bowler with 2/21.
The result leaves Beaufort winless on the bottom of the ladder, ahead of a clash with Maryborough next week, while Clunes hosts MKM.