Sport
13 February, 2026
Clunes needs 325 to revive top four aspirations
Clunes attempts to keep their dangling A grade finals chances alive when they commence their run chase of Carisbrook’s massive first innings total.
With their monumental 324 last week, Carisbrook became one of seven instances a team has surpassed 300 runs since their A grade return in 2023/24, joining Laanecoorie Dunolly and Clunes.
It’s a crowning achievement for a batting line-up that’s improved significantly since their runner-up finish last season, with a multitude of depth pieces breaking out for season-high scores.
After scoring a combined 89 runs in his last two A grade campaigns, Atticus Cullinan is beginning to emerge as a powerful all-rounder, supplementing his searing pace with two half-centuries this season, including a sweltering 64 last Saturday.
Martin Mark and Jordan Hooper were also on song scoring 51 and 48 respectively, complementing another first-class opening partnership from Elliot Cullinan and William Coutts.
Their healthy advantage will allow the visitors to experiment with their bowling attack which has been hot and cold all season as they try to chase down the top four.
While the deck looks stacked against Clunes, it would be imprudent to write the upcoming task as impossible considering their individual performances with the bat this season.
When the Magpies last scored 300, it was a Mitch Coppick masterclass that did the bulk of the damage, scoring Clunes’ first A grade century since 2018 with an unbeaten 109 during round 14 of the 2023/24 season.
Coppick has been the heart of the Magpies batting lineup this season, currently on 323 runs. With two half-centuries to his name, he would love to add another hundred tomorrow.
Speaking of Clunes centuries, the last batter to hit a hundred before Coppick was Mark Allen, who’s been in good touch this season with four knocks above 20.
After taking 2/23 last weekend, Ahmed Rehman will continue to be a key piece to the Magpies chances as he attempts to recapture the formula that enabled him to register back-to-back fifties earlier this season.