Sport
12 January, 2023
Owls and Laane clash set for exciting conclusion
MARYBOROUGH 1/24 trail LAANECOORIE DUNOLLY 269 There was a sense of positivity in the air for both teams after the conclusion of play on day one of the match between Maryborough and Laanecoorie Dunolly last week. For Maryborough, they were able to...

MARYBOROUGH 1/24 trail LAANECOORIE DUNOLLY 269
There was a sense of positivity in the air for both teams after the conclusion of play on day one of the match between Maryborough and Laanecoorie Dunolly last week.
For Maryborough, they were able to start their first innings with ease, putting on 24 runs in nine overs as they looked to put the pressure on Laane.
But Laane’s late wicket, thanks to the bowling of Benjamin Gunn, gives them impetus to take the remaining nine wickets required to take first innings points, all while defending a formidable score of 269.
That is the prospect as day two of this game approaches.
Having been required to face nine overs before the close of play last week, Maryborough wisely elected to keep their better batsmen, such as the likes of Mitch McClure and Sam Bartlett, in the sheds after fielding in hot conditions for 66 overs, while also giving the Owls a chance to send out players who could score at a solid run-rate before the end of play.
They’ll now start play at 1/24, with Anthony Bourke currently sitting on eight not out, while Harry Lumsden is unbeaten on one.
With both players normally batting in the middle order, there could be some early fireworks, and an intriguing battle between bat and ball.
What the Owls were successfully able to do last week was to change Laane’s bowling tactics in their brief stay at the crease, with the fast bowlers in Daniel Romeo and Joe Lovel replaced after just four overs in favour of off-spin, bringing in Gunn and Samit Gohil to slow down the run-rate. That reaped rewards when Gunn trapped Jackson Goodwin in front for LBW.
There is still plenty of work to be done for the Owls, and they’ll be looking to achieve the success that Laane had last Saturday in putting together key partnerships which helped them score 269.
A 102-run partnership between Tom Hannett (37) and Gohil (49) helped shape Laane’s innings after the early dismissal of Liam Mottrom, while a 45-run partnership for the fifth wicket between Gunn and Matt Smith, as well as a 48-run partnership for the eighth wicket between Daniel Romeo and Joe Lovel, were key moments in the game.
The biggest variable that could yet emerge could spoil the party for both teams tomorrow.
Both teams will be on red alert for the possibility of having to sit out large parts of tomorrow’s action due to extreme heat, which could yield another draw — which would be Laane’s sixth of the season, while Maryborough would have to settle for their fourth draw.