Sport
17 March, 2026
Laane holds its nerve to take top spot
Laanecoorie Dunolly has survived a major day one scare from Colts Phelans and secured the top seed for the upcoming finals series, where they’ll attempt to dethrone the Colts from their premiership throne.
A 46-run partnership between Sam Bartlett and Alex Cook helped the hosts recover from their stunning top-order collapse the weekend prior, allowing Bartlett and Matt Smith to guide Laane past the Colts for the second time this season.
The victory means Laane will take on a familiar face in a red-hot Beaufort, who’s won three of their last four games, in the semi-final, while the Colts will host nearby neighbours Maryborough for a place in the Grand Final.
After taking 4/16 from just nine overs on day one, Nick Henderson was unsurprisingly given the ball immediately on Saturday, as he and Asim Akhtar attempted to compound Laane’s hellacious day one collapse which saw them dangling at 5/33.
With their team having all day to score their required 69 runs, Bartlett and Cook resumed their innings on naught and six respectively, adopting a conservative approach as they were hyper-focused on protecting their wickets.
The pair survived the opening eight overs from Henderson and Akhtar without loss, getting Laane near the halfway point of their objective.
Sensing momentum was building in their opponents’ favour, the Colts elected to bring on star spinner Ben Evans, filled with confidence after taking 6/23 versus Clunes last round.
With Akhtar and Dayne Baker steaming in at the other end, Evans was producing an excellent spell of bowling, with four of his five overs ending in maidens.
However, wickets continued to elude the Colts’ attack, as Bartlett and Cook showcased immense concentration to place Laane in the driver’s seat at 5/68 after 18 overs on day two.
Just as their chances of snatching the minor premiership began to fade, it was that man Henderson who once again reignited the Colts with his pristine bowling.
Eleven balls into a new spell, Henderson got Cook to be caught by Akhtar after scoring a well-made 33 from 94 deliveries, completing Henderson’s first five-wicket haul of the season.
That brought the experienced Smith to the middle, reuniting a partnership with Bartlett that scored 113 runs against the Colts in round eight and hit the winning runs in December’s one-day Grand Final.
The left-handers ensured the loss of Cook wouldn’t stall Laane’s run chase, remaining patient against the likes of Henderson, Akhtar, Josh Collinson and Jack Gallimore as they waited for the right balls to score from.
The Colts were forced to watch as Bartlett and Smith developed another consequential partnership, which ended the match in Laane’s favour thanks to a Bartlett single off Collinson in the 54th over.
Bartlett batted from start to finish on day two, scoring an unbeaten 28 from 98 balls while Smith added a valuable 13.
Henderson ended a brilliant two day performance with season-best figures of 5/45 from 17 overs.