Sport
30 January, 2026
Fourteen of the MDCA’s brightest stars named to tackle Melbourne Country Week
The MDCA has announced a stacked 14-man squad that will attempt to obliterate the finals barrier in the upcoming Melbourne Country Week.
The representative squad has undergone several changes since its successful defence of the Sharp Shield, headlined by the absence of reigning Ken Gibbs medallist and vice-captain Tom Hannett.
Colts Phelans’ batting linchpin Josh Collinson is among the fresh blood looking to bolster the team alongside left-arm quick Joel Pymer and red-hot batsman Jarrod Blandford.
Pymer and Blandford join Bulls teammates Brandon Walsh, Lachlan Oddie and Theo Trevelyan-Clark in the chosen 14, giving Beaufort a leading five representatives, followed by four from current A grade ladder-leaders Laanecoorie Dunolly.
Among the Laane quartet is Sam Bartlett, who will reprise his role as captain, while the aforementioned Oddie remains as vice-captain after leading the MDCA in runs and wickets last season.
Oddie was a bright spot in a promising campaign that ended in agony, with back-to-back wins against Hamilton and South West, the MDCA was in prime position to contend for a division two finals spot.
However, consecutive defeats to Mornington Peninsula and Sunraysia doomed those ambitions, ending the competition in sixth with 10 points.
The squad will be confident they can fulfill their finals ambitions and build off their dominant eight-wicket victory against Grenville in their representative season opener.
The MDCA made the most of overcast conditions after winning the toss and electing to bowl in December’s Sharp Shield encounter, with Laane spin king Alex Cook serving figures of 5/21 as Grenville were bowled out for 122.
In response, Cook’s club team-mate Nafis Shaikh clubbed an unbeaten 62, as the MDCA completed their objective in the 26th over.
While the official schedule has yet to be finalised, the MDCA is currently pencilled to open their 2026 campaign against Latrobe Valley at Windy Hill on Monday, February 9.
MDCA Melbourne Country Week Squad
- Sam Bartlett (C) Laanecoorie Dunolly Runs: 146 Wickets: 15
- Lachlan Oddie (VC) Beaufort Runs: 185 Wickets: 6
- Asim Ahktar Colts Phelans Runs: 333 Wickets: 15
- Oliver Bennett Maryborough Runs: 330
- Jarrod Blandford Beaufort Runs: 232 Wickets: 9
- Alex Cook Laanecoorie Dunolly Runs: 31 Wickets: 17
- William Coutts (WK) Carisbrook Runs: 249
- Ben Evans Colts Phelans Runs: 214 Wickets: 14
- Josh Fitzpatrick Laanecoorie Dunolly Runs: 214 Wickets: 13
- Joel Pymer Beaufort Runs: 7 Wickets: 1
- Nafis Shaikh Laanecoorie Dunolly Runs: 393 Wickets: 6
- Theo Trevelyan-Clark Beaufort Runs: 189 Wickets: 14
- Brandon Walsh Beaufort Runs: 199 Wickets: 22
In an exciting prelude to the Melbourne County Week, the MDCA is hosting a Local XI versus International XI T20 match this Sunday at Carisbrook Recreation Reserve, starting at 2.15 pm.
Instigated by the Carisbrook Cricket Club, the match will serve as a fundraiser for the Melbourne Country Week campaign.
The All-Star clash is the main event of a choc-filled calendar of cricket in Carisbrook on Sunday, which will open with the return of the club’s Weekly Cricket Blast Program.
Commencing at 10 am, the program is open to all kids aged six to 11 from across the region and will run each Sunday until March 15, 2026. For more information, call Josh Cullinan on 0416 241 763.
At the conclusion of Sunday’s Cricket Blast Program, the Carisbrook Cricket Club will also host a footballers vs cricketers T20 match, starting at 11 am.