Sport
23 January, 2023
First innings points on the line when day two begins
MARYBOROUGH 1/2 trail CLUNES 193 Arguably Clunes’ best day of the season so far means that with day two on the horizon, the race for first innings points looks to be on in earnest. The second day’s play will begin on Saturday with Maryborough in...
MARYBOROUGH 1/2 trail CLUNES 193
Arguably Clunes’ best day of the season so far means that with day two on the horizon, the race for first innings points looks to be on in earnest.
The second day’s play will begin on Saturday with Maryborough in an awkward spot at 1/2 off two overs, requiring another 192 runs for first innings points.
Clunes won the toss and elected to bat on a bouncy pitch which offered plenty for both batsmen and bowlers. But initially, it looked to be the Magpies who were taking the upper hand, with Anthony Ellis and Mitchell Coppick scoring quickly to give them a fighting chance.
They would put on 54 for the first wicket before Zac McLeod struck, knocking over Ellis’ stumps for 34.
It was the first of three quick wickets for an energised McLeod in quick succession. Soon after, he’d take his second wicket, with Ashley Gunn caught out by Todd Doran, before he would trap Jude McGuire in front LBW for a duck to leave Clunes 3/60.
But the important partnership which allowed Clunes to get themselves well into the game would soon materialise, with Mark Allen joining Coppick for an 84-run stand.
Coppick made a strong 50 and needed to go on with it, but not long after, he would be McLeod’s fourth victim when Doran caught him out for 57, and just seven runs later, Allen’s equally fine knock of 45 would come to an end when he holed out to Harry Lumsden at deep square leg to give McLeod a fine five-wicket haul.
A quickfire 17-run stand between Sam Williams and Aidan Thompson came to an end soon after when Lumsden was the second Owls player to take a wicket for the day, with Williams holing out to Jackson Goodwin, before McLeod returned to the attack and took his sixth wicket — that of Thompson, who was Doran’s third catch of the day.
Jaxon Smyth made 11 runs before he was soon McLeod’s seventh victim in an incredible day of personal heroics, caught by Rohan MacKay, and after a slightly frustrating 15-run stand between Brendon Ingram and Noah Davies, McLeod had his eighth victim when he caught Ingram out off his own bowling.
Lachlan Morganti finished off the innings shortly afterwards when Davies holed out to Sam Bartlett.
In terms of Maryborough’s bowling performance, the plaudits had to go to McLeod. It was the best bowling performance of the season by some distance so far, leading the way with good line and length bowling, and was required for large parts of the day, bowling 22 overs and finishing with the figures of 8/63.
Lumsden looked threatening at times, utilising the bouncy pitch to give the batsmen plenty to think about before eventually finishing on 1/39 off his 12 overs, while Morganti, the other wicket taker, finished on 1/29 off 10.4 overs.
Maryborough had to negotiate two tricky overs before the close of play, but were unable to get to the end of the day without loss, with Gunn taking the wicket of MacKay for a duck.
Lumsden and Mitch McClure ended the day unbeaten, with Lumsden yet to get off the mark, and McClure on one.