Sport
2 February, 2023
Season-defining local derby this weekend
Fresh off getting their season back on track last week, Maryborough face a crunch test to keep their chances of a top-two spot alive when they make the short trip to Colts Phelans. There’s no doubt that they’ll most definitely be inspired for...
Fresh off getting their season back on track last week, Maryborough face a crunch test to keep their chances of a top-two spot alive when they make the short trip to Colts Phelans.
There’s no doubt that they’ll most definitely be inspired for this edition of the local derby, having put together their most devastating offensive performance of the season with the bat in their most recent outing against Clunes.
Mitch McClure’s 132 helped vault him to second in the batting charts, while Sam Bartlett’s brutal 57 off just 34 balls helped give the Owls impetus to win outright, a juncture that was ultimately unsuccessful.
Zac McLeod was also excellent with the ball, finishing with figures of 8/63 in Clunes’ first innings.
All eyes, however, now turn to this clash against Colts Phelans, where the winner of this game could yet firm for a top-two spot.
Should Colts win, they will all but seal at the very least second place on the ladder, sitting nine points ahead of the Owls on the ladder coming into this encounter.
Recent form also points to Colts fancying their chances of maintaining what’s largely been the status quo throughout the season, having already taken two victories against the Owls in season 2022/23.
Their first meeting in the T20 competition saw Colts come out on top by 42 runs, before their one-day match saw Colts victorious again in a topsy-turvy match by five wickets with just two overs to spare.
Colts will have to make do without Ed Foreman for this game due to injury, and there’s no doubt his consistency will be missed, but they still have plenty of firepower in their batting, with Wayne Stubbings looking for a decent outing, while Rhys Egan has been solid all season long, averaging 31 with the bat.
It’s with the ball that Colts have been able to shine this season, with Ben Stubbings, Matthew Scott and the ever-consistent Richard Clark all taking double-digit wickets. Add in Dayne Baker, Callum Watts, Wayne and Nicholas Henderson sitting in the top 14, and it gives an insight into how deep Colts’ bowling stocks run.
Likewise, Maryborough have had consistent performers with the ball this season, with Harry Lumsden, McLeod and Liam Maffescioni all in the top 10 wicket-takers for the season thus far. McClure will be looking to repeat his heroics with the bat last week, also scoring 61 runs the last time these two teams met, while Sam Bartlett and Martin Dell were also able to score well in the middle order.