Sport
2 December, 2025
Colts snap Laane voodoo at the death
For the first time since November 7, 2020, Colts Phelans have overcome Laanecoorie Dunolly thanks to Abdaar Ishaq hitting the winning runs on the final ball of the match.
It looked as though the Colts’ curse against Laane would be smashed into oblivion with the hosts pinned to 4/32 at Bryants Oval before Sam Bartlett came to the rescue with a stunning 93.
Still needing 134 runs after 20 overs, Ishaq, who’s shown flashes of his talent this season, produced an innings which will go down in Colts folklore, scoring 15 runs in the last two overs to give his team a memorable victory with an unbeaten 78.
The Colts now need just one point from their last two games to qualify for the one-day Grand Final, while Laane received a major consolation prize by officially returning to the white ball finale thanks to Maryborough’s clash with Beaufort being washed out.
After winning the toss, Colts captain Rhys Wagstaff elected to send his opponents in to bat. Josh Fitzpatrick looked like he would make Wagstaff pay for that decision, hitting two quick fours.
However, Ishaq sent Fitzpatrick packing early, with the opener caught by Luke Tatchell behind the stumps after scoring nine.
Tate Williams provided no respite for the new man in Nafis Shaikh, trapping the MDCA’s leading run-scorer for an LBW dismissal after he scored four.
Bartlett looked poised to steady the ship alongside Hannett, but the Colts delivered another double dose of cannonfire which shredded the hull of the host’s innings.
First, Asim Akhtar made his presence known with the first ball of his spell by bowling Hannett for seven before Ishaq removed Tom Hart for one, thanks to another catch by Tatchell.
With Laane shell-shocked at 4/32 after nine overs, Bartlett and Joe Lovel were tasked with salvaging Laane’s innings.
The duo remained patient as the Colts’ attack denied easy runs, navigating their way to the drinks break with the score at 4/60.
It seemed the Colts would struggle to break the stubborn partnership until the returning Wayne Stubbings got a deserved wicket when Lovel was caught by Josh Collinson for eight.
When Ben Evans bowled the dangerous Alex Cook for a duck in the next over, Laane seemed destined to collapse like a Jenga shack at 6/67.
The hosts’ slim chances were placed on elder statesman Bartlett and Matt Smith, leading to an astonishing partnership which turned the game on its head.
After navigating the spells of Stubbings and Evans, the pair began to attack the Colts’ talented pace attack, causing Laane’s total to climb rapidly.
Bartlett and Smith scored 61 runs in the final five overs, including two Bartlett sixes in an 18-run final over to carry Laane to 6/180.
Bartlett finished unbeaten on 93 from 111 balls, his highest score since knocking 98 for the MDCA in the Kenmac Shield back in 2020. Smith was also superb, hitting 43 off 44 balls.
Ishaq was vital to the Colts’ domination in the first half of the innings, taking 2/11 with three maidens from eight overs, but Laane’s late flourish placed pressure on his team’s openers, Wagstaff and Tarkyn Balzan, to start their response smoothly.
After his heroics with the willow, Bartlett threw an early speed bump to the Colts’ run chase, removing Wagstaff for five when he was caught by Cook in the fourth over.
Laane’s frontline bowlers in Bartlett and Lovel were masterful in restricting the early run rate, with Fitzpatrick and Cook following suit immediately after.
The partnership of Balzan and Collinson showed immense discipline while under constant attack, but the pressure became too much for Balzan, who was gone for 20 via an LBW dismissal by Fitzpatrick.
After reaching the drinks break, Collinson and the new man in Ishaq did well to rotate the strike, but the visitors were quickly running out of overs.
That task became even trickier when, with the last ball of the 32nd over, Collinson hit a Smith delivery right to Fitzpatrick, ending his innings at 47 and placing the Colts at 3/102.
With the Colts still needing 79 runs to win from 48 balls, the powerful Akhtar joined Ishaq in the middle, wasting no time showcasing his game-altering abilities, with the new duo hitting 25 runs in their first two overs together.
While the reintroduction of Bartlett stemmed the run rate, some aggressive running from Akhtar and Ishaq ensured the Colts stayed within touching distance.
Heading into the 38th over, trailing by 30 runs, the partnership attacked Laane’s spinners, smashing 25 runs in the preceding two overs to set the stage for a grandstand finish.
The equation was as follows. The Colts needed six runs off the final over to win, but that’s easier said than done facing Bartlett, who dismissed Akhtar for 24 with the first ball of the over, thanks to a catch by Cook.
Immediately thrust into a mammoth situation, Evans did brilliantly to get Ishaq back on strike with the Colts still needing three runs to win with two balls remaining.
After levelling the scores with a two, Ishaq pierced through the Laane field to score a four on the final ball to provide the exclamation point on a historic victory.
Bartlett attempted to make the most of his outstanding knock, ending with figures of 2/34.