Sport
21 February, 2025
Laane, Beaufort bowl themselves into finals hunt
The race for finals has been blown wide open as Laanecoorie Dunolly and Beaufort have crept into contention after victories in round 11.
Laanecoorie Dunolly 124 def Talbot 55
A dominant bowling performance from Laanecoorie Dunolly has put them only a victory away from fourth after defeating Talbot by 69 runs.
After a 30-run second-wicket partnership between Paul Waddington and Joshua Lacey, Jack Kenden and Karl Gunther gave Talbot the upper hand as the duo combined to grab three wickets for two runs to leave Laane at 4/40.
Twenty’s from Nicholas Earl and Jarred Russell brought Laane back into the game while Lachlan Roche cleaned up much of Laane’s middle order, claiming four wickets.
Kenden would also finish with some impressive figures of 2/3 off eight overs, including six maidens.
Laane’s bowling attack made quick work of Talbot’s batting lineup, only needing 22.1 overs to leave Talbot all out for 55.
Brendan Redpath set the tone early by claiming the first two wickets of Scott Cameron and Roche as he finished with 2/13 while Steven Dellavedova grabbed top figures of 3/3, playing an integral role in the key passage of play that saw Talbot go from 4/42 to 8/42.
Beaufort 3/88 def MKM 84
After finding themselves rock bottom and winless heading into round eight, Beaufort has racked up four consecutive victories and is now only three points away from fourth.
Nicolas Stares and Joe Kingsbury got the Crows off to a tremendous start, each bowling Tristan Tack and Muhammad Haseeb Khan without MKM troubling the scorers.
Fresh off his 87 for Beaufort A grade last week, Nicholas Cooper joined in the action by claiming the key wicket of Jarrod Nedelkovski, who made 26, as Cooper ended up with top figures of 3/18.
Some late hitting allowed MKM to surpass 80 before Ben Grant grabbed the last two wickets for the Crows.
MKM was keen to bring the fight to the Crows, removing openers Joshua Lofts and Nathan Elford rather cheaply to leave Beaufort on 2/22.
A 55-run partnership between Cooper and David Kiely brought the Crows to the precipitous of victory before Kiely and Malcolm Woolley finished the job.
Khan performed well for MKM in defeat, finishing with 1/5 from five overs with three maidens.
Maryborough 7/163 def Colts Phelans 9/86
Maryborough only needs one point to secure the A reserve minor premiership after defeating second-placed Colts Phelans by 77 runs.
The Colts put the Owls under serious pressure early after Daniel McGregor removed James Scott and Lachlan Bursill to put Maryborough at 2/12.
Ben Robertson continued his hot streak for the Owls, combining with Jasper Trickey for a 61-run partnership on his way to making 57 off 61 balls to help give Maryborough control.
Troy Bursill and Paul Jardine created another key partnership right at the death of Maryborough’s innings, adding another 60 to the total.
Dean Walker was the pick of the bowlers for the Colts, grabbing 3/20 off five overs.
Similarly to McGregor in the first innings, Jacob Glen was on the money for Maryborough immediately, removing in-form openers Aaron Balzan and David Forde to put the Colts in a precarious position at 3/21.
Graham Taylor did his best to stem the tide for the Colts, but Trickey made the tidal wave too much to handle, taking the next five wickets to finish with figures of 4/20 and a run-out.
Taylor was eventually left stranded not out for a high score of 49.
Carisbrook 86 def by Clunes 5/91
The reigning premiers have regained their form by defeating Carisbrook by five wickets, putting themselves neck and neck on points with second-placed Colts Phelans.
The Magpies bowling attack made their presence known from the beginning, with Jaxon Coon removing league-leading run-scorer Elliot Cullinan for a duck in the second over.
Josh Dunn and Lucas Fudge dismantled Carisbrook’s middle and bottom order to limit the hosts to 86, with the duo collecting three wickets each.
Angus Morrison and David Coomber were the only Carisbrook batters to reach double figures, scoring 19 and 13 respectively.
Mark Jenkin and Mitch Coppick opened Clunes’ batting innings with a 35-run partnership before contributions from Daniel Fordham and Dylan Davies got the Magpies over the line.
Brian Knight finished with top figures for Carisbrook while 2/8 while Caleb Cluff (1/10), Cooper Willis (1/17) and Cullinan (1/23 also collected wickets.
Round 12
Round 12 will play a pivotal role in who ends up in the top four at the end of the season, with many finals contenders facing off.
Beaufort will have the toughest test of their torrid winning streak so far, as they welcome league-leaders Maryborough to Goldfields Reserve who will be looking to secure the minor premiership.
Laanecoorie Dunolly can put themselves on equal points with fourth-placed Talbot with a win against a Clunes side aiming to distance themselves from the chasing pack.
Talbot can ensure Laane doesn’t draw level with them when they travel to Carisbrook who need a win to keep their final chances alive.
MKM will wrap up the round 12 proceedings when they welcome Colts Phelans to Ron Sinclair Oval.