Sport
20 January, 2026
Laane dominant in win over Carisbrook
A change of ball and colour of clothes hasn’t stopped Laanecoorie Dunolly from maintain-ing their dominant ways, chasing down Carisbrook’s 139 in just 23 overs.
With a persistent ambition to bolster, the reigning one-day champions welcomed Amar Ullah to the team on Saturday, who had a debut to remember with three key wickets and hitting the winning runs to complete Laane’s seven-wicket victory.
After William Coutts and Elliot Cullinan produced a memorable 139-run opening stand in their last meeting with Laane, Carisbrook elected to bat after winning the toss with the hopes of recapturing that magic.
Laane quicks Sam Bartlett and Josh Fitzpatrick made it virtually impossible for Carisbrook’s openers to burst out of the blocks, with their exceptionally tight bowling conceding just six runs in the first six overs.
Under immense pressure, Coutts and Cullinan failed to crack early, growing in confidence after surviving the opening barrage of Bartlett and Fitzpatrick.
However, the free-flowing Cullinan wouldn’t enjoy the rewards of his patience, with Will Chamings taking the first wicket thanks to a catch from Nafis Shaikh.
With Cullinan sent packing for 13, the game entered into somewhat of a stalemate. As Laane continued to strangle the run rate, they couldn’t remove Coutts or the new man in Jordan Hooper, with the pair taking Carisbrook to the drinks break at 1/50.
Shortly after the interval, Alex Cook and Amar Ullah delivered two wickets in two deliveries that changed the complexion of the match.
First, Cook got Hooper to hold out to Matt Smith to bookend the 22nd over, with Carisbrook’s number three scoring nine from 38 balls. Then, Ullah started the 23rd over with a caught and bowled that ended Coutts’ innings at 26.
That wasn’t the only wicket Ullah claimed in the 23rd over, with Brayden Wright quickly gone for one as he was caught by Shaikh.
In the space of seven balls, Carisbrook’s stable start quickly unravelled to 4/58, with Dean Nalder and Atticus Cullinan tasked with cleaning up the mess.
The duo elected to attack Laane’s bowling lineup, hitting a combined three boundaries before Nalder became Ullah’s third victim, caught by Tom Hannett for 14.
Despite losing their talisman, Carisbrook’s momentum continued to grow with the new partnership of Atticus Cullinan and Cole Harris scoring 22 runs in the subsequent three overs before Atticus Cullinan hit a Shaikh ball straight to Joe Lovel after scoring 21.
Now joined by Cooper Mark, Harris made his intentions known with back-to-back sixes off Cook, giving Carisbrook a needed jolt to 6/122 at the end of the 32nd over.
Enter Bartlett.
Alongside Fitzpatrick, Laane’s stalwart seamer permanently stalled Carisbrook’s innings, ending a stunning bowling performance by dissecting the visitors’ lower order.
In the 36th over, Bartlett caused double trouble, removing Harris for 28 before taking the wicket of Martin Mark for one with catches from Smith and Hannett.
Axel Purcell was Bartlett’s next victim, bowled for one during the 38th over. Bartlett’s rampage ended with eye-popping figures of 4/7 after finishing Carisbrook’s innings by castling Cooper Mark for eight.
Ullah ensured Laane made the most of Bartlett and Fitzpatrick’s sumptuous start, taking 3/25 from eight overs.
After being bowled out for 139, Carisbrook was desperate for an early wicket, especially against star opener Tom Hannett, who wasn’t dismissed by Carisbrook in their previous two meetings this season.
Following a promising start, Laane openers Hannett and Tom Hart knocked Atticus Cullinan and Hooper out of the attack with a pair of devastating overs that brought the hosts to 66 runs without loss after just eight overs.
Forced to shift away from their opening bowlers, Carisbrook turned to Nalder, who delivered once again for the visitors with a caught and bowled that removed Hart for 39 from just 26 balls.
While Laane was confident Hart’s wicket would be a blip on the radar, Purcell had Carisbrook dreaming of a comeback in the following over when he sent MDCA’s leading run-scorer Shaikh packing for a duck thanks to a catch from Coutts behind the stumps.
The duo of Nalder and Purcell continued to bowl extremely well, but couldn’t make any further inroads into Laane’s lineup, with the pairing of Hannett and Fitzpatrick reaching 2/113 after 20 overs.
Immediately following the drinks break, Hannett brought about his 50 with typical flair, but he wouldn’t be around to finish the job as he held out to Atticus Cullinan for 54, looking to score off Elliot Cullinan.
Hannett’s dismissal wouldn’t change the final result, as Fitzpatrick and Ullah completed the run chase with ease, unbeaten on 33 and seven respectively.
Nalder (1/14 from six overs), Purcell (1/38 from seven overs), and Elliot Cullinan (1/20 off 1.5 overs) were the wicket-takers for Carisbrook.