Sport
4 January, 2024
Laane and Maryborough to do battle at Princes
Fresh off securing their second premiership of the season, Laanecoorie Dunolly will be looking to continue to stamp their authority on this season’s A grade competition when they travel to Princes Park to play Maryborough. Laane hold the advantage...
Fresh off securing their second premiership of the season, Laanecoorie Dunolly will be looking to continue to stamp their authority on this season’s A grade competition when they travel to Princes Park to play Maryborough.
Laane hold the advantage in their sole meeting this year, taking a nine-wicket win in their one-day meeting, while their T20 match was a walkover after Maryborough forfeited.
Nevertheless, this looms as an intriguing meeting.
Laane will be fielding somewhat of a different team, with James Shorney departing and competition-leading runscorer Luke Smith also out of the team for the time being.
However, their batting and bowling depth continues to linger, and the opportunity is there for others to step up.
From a batting perspective, expect Sam Bartlett and captain Matt Smith to be picking up the pace in the two-day game after a somewhat limited amount of time at the crease during the shorter formats.
Bartlett and Smith are still averaging 71 and 63 respectively, showing how much value both batsmen place on their wicket as closers of their innings.
Bartlett, in particular, shone in their last meeting against the Owls, top-scoring with 68 — his highest score of the season.
Meantime, Tom Hannett scored 55 runs in that game as the duo shared in an unbeaten 153-run partnership, and he’ll be another that will look to score at will.
Their bowling lineup continues to shine, especially given that Laane bowlers account for four of the six bowlers who have taken 10 or more wickets this year.
Daniel Romeo, with 13 wickets and fresh of a supreme performance in the one-day final, leads the way, and he’ll be looking to add to his tally, while Sergio Rosier (11 wickets), Joe Lovel (11 wickets) and Bartlett (10 wickets) will also be keen to keep their good form going.
Add in the likes of Zach Graham, with eight wickets, and Ben Gunn’s six wickets, and Laane are shaping up very well in all departments as they seek another March premiership.
Maryborough will have a tricky task ahead of them to ensure that they can quell the influence of Laane’s lineup, both with the bat and the ball.
In recent games, their top and middle order has been performing quite well, with Tom Hart (209 runs), Mitch McClure (176 runs) and Ben Hoban (139 runs) all performing very well throughout the shorter formats.
Hart, in particular, was excellent in their last meeting against Laane, scoring 63 runs from just 44 balls, which included 11 fours as he was crucial to an 85-run opening stand.
They will be seeking more support in the middle order, and the expectation will be on Martin Dell and Lachlan Bursill to add a solid grounding, as they did in their last game of 2023, with Dell providing 23 runs and Bursill 32 against Carisbrook.
Maryborough will no doubt be looking to take more wickets as the two-day game takes hold. The shorter format was an almighty struggle for the Owls, with just two bowlers — Jasper Trickey (nine) and Jacob Glen (five) taking five or more wickets.
Between their bowling attack, they have taken just 27 wickets for the season — the second least in the competition, just ahead of Colts Phelans, who have taken 26.
It will be imperative for Maryborough if they bowl first to take quick wickets to give themselves their best chance to upset the Laane applecart.