Sport
5 January, 2023
Owls to test Laane as two-day gets underway
Fresh off the high of securing another one-day title, Laanecoorie Dunolly faces a test to open their two-day season when they finally play Maryborough for the first time since their return to the competition tomorrow afternoon at Princes Park...
Fresh off the high of securing another one-day title, Laanecoorie Dunolly faces a test to open their two-day season when they finally play Maryborough for the first time since their return to the competition tomorrow afternoon at Princes Park.
Having come desperately close to securing a berth into the one-day final, the Owls will be out to show that they will be a force in the longer form of the game, and there’s no better way to make a statement than against the defending champions.
However, beating Laanecoorie Dunolly at the moment, on current form, is put simply easier said than done.
Laane have shown an ability to knuckle down when teams have put pressure on their bowling and batting line-up, and when needed to, they are also able to accelerate the run rate to brisk levels which allow them to score quickly.
Case in point — the recent one-day final against Colts Phelans, where Laane, struggling to record much more than one run an over for the first 15 overs thanks to some superb bowling, were able to put together a brilliant finish to run over the top of a tiring Colts.
Much of their batting brilliance comes down to the form of Samit Gohil, who has accumulated 180 runs in his last two innings against Clunes and Colts respectively, while Tom Hannett and Benjamin Gunn have also stood out this season, scoring 160 and 86 runs this season, while averaging 40 and 86 respectively.
Laane’s bowling line-up has been led strongly by youngster Joe Lovel, who has taken nine wickets at an average of 12 to lead the way in the competition, while Daniel Romeo (six wickets, 14.5 average) and Ben Gunn (five wickets, 15.6 average) are also in the top 10 in the competition.
The bottom line is, Laane doesn’t give you easy runs.
However, Maryborough are a team which will fancy their chances of being able to give Laane some trouble.
Like Laane, they also have batsmen who can score runs at will — Mitch McClure has scored 121 runs at an average of 40.33 this season, while Sam Bartlett has scored an even 100 runs at an average of 33.33. Add in Martin Dell’s average of 35 from his four innings this season, and the Owls can boast multiple batsmen who can stay at the crease for an extended period.
The Owls also have a strong bowling department, with Harry Lumsden leading the way, taking nine wickets at an average of 13.33. Liam Maffescioni has vaulted into the top 10 wicket-takers, collecting five wickets at an average of 17, while Ben Hoban and Zac McLeod have taken four wickets each.
It’s been over three years since the two teams have met in a two-day match, with Laane taking first innings points thanks to a dominant display. A lone hand from Bartlett, who scored 66 runs, helped Maryborough finish on 101, with Zach Graham taking 5/13, and Steven Dellavedova 3/14, before a consistent batting evert, which saw six batters score above 20 runs, allowed Laane to finish on 7/220.