Sport
19 December, 2022
Play-by-play of the 2022 MDCA A grade one-day final
LAANECOORIE DUNOLLY 2/123 def COLTS PHELANS 120 Laanecoorie Dunolly’s eight-wicket victory over Colts Phelans on Saturday came in a game that was much more tense than the scoreboard suggested, yet nevertheless earned them their fourth consecutive...

LAANECOORIE DUNOLLY 2/123 def COLTS PHELANS 120
Laanecoorie Dunolly’s eight-wicket victory over Colts Phelans on Saturday came in a game that was much more tense than the scoreboard suggested, yet nevertheless earned them their fourth consecutive premiership from a one-day final, stemming back to the 2020/21 season.
A brilliant all-round game from Samit Gohil was key to Laane’s success, with his ability to hold up an end with the ball rewarded by taking 1/16 from eight overs, before lighting up True Blue Floors Oval with the bat with an unbeaten 76 to help guide them to their victory after falling into desperate trouble early on in their batting innings, which also earned him the medal as man of the match.
Laane won the toss and elected to bowl first in order to give their batting line-up the best possible opportunity to chase down whatever Colts could throw at them.
The pairing of Wayne Stubbings and Callum Watts opened for Colts — a mixture of an experienced head to help guide the team, as well as a young charger looking to make quick runs, and for a time, it looked as though this would pay off for Colts as they put on 30 for the first wicket.
However, Gohil, who bowled economically throughout, was able to make the breakthrough, clean bowling Watts for 15.
That brought out Ed Foreman, whose innings had the potential to shape the game, but he was unable to make an impact with the bat, as Joe Lovel knocked him over for just four runs.
Stubbings and Rhys Egan were able to steady the ship a little bit until the former edged one straight through to James Shorney for 29 off the bowling of Lovel, before Egan would depart soon after drinks for 24, trapped in front lbw by Daniel Romeo.
Jackson Gordon worked hard to ensure Colts would have a steady stream of runs on the board in a consistent innings of 25, but when he was bowled by Lovel, it triggered a collapse.
Already this season, Colts had been on the end of a bowling collapse where they had lost eight wickets for 53 runs, but this one was more severe. They lost their final six wickets for 11 runs as Colts were bowled out for 120 off their 35 overs.
Lovel was the star with the ball, taking 4/39 off eight overs, including the important wickets of Stubbings, Foreman and Gordon when Laane needed them most. Romeo finished with 2/30 off eight.
Laane’s task was to make 121 — a run-rate of just over three an over. But their task was easier said than done in the early stages.
The combination of Nicholas Henderson and Matt Scott were sensational in the opening overs of Laane’s innings, with runs hard to come by.
Scott was also taking wickets. He first took Romeo’s wicket with a magnificent ball that left the stumps cartwheeling, before he found Tom Hannett fishing for a ball down the leg-side which was edged through to Liam Tatchell, leaving Laane in a precarious position at 2/4.
For a large part of the first half of the innings, Laane were batting at just one run an over, having made 10 runs in the first 10 overs.
Slowly but surely, however, Laane, and more specifically the partnership of Gohil and Zach Graham, were able to begin to wear down Colts’ bowling lineup.
By the drinks break in the 20th over, Laane had started to pick up the pace, sitting on 2/49, still requiring 72 runs to win.
Led by Gohil and Graham, the drinks break was their signal to start pushing the pace, and were able to go at a brisk pace which saw them score at over six runs an over for the next 11 overs to finish off the game and secure the one-day premiership.
Gohil’s unbeaten 76 ensured that he would end the one-day season averaging 140 with the bat, while Graham’s best innings of the season thus far yielded an unbeaten 39.
Scott finished with the best figures for Colts Phelans, taking 2/21 off seven overs, while Henderson bowled excellently without luck, finishing with 0/12 off seven overs.