Sport
18 December, 2023
Seven-wicket win delivers one-day title to reigning champs
A terrific team bowling performance, complimented by Luke Smith’s individual brilliance, helped Laanecoorie Dunolly secure their second premiership of the 2023/24 season with a seven-wicket success in Saturday’s one-day decider against Beaufort...
A terrific team bowling performance, complimented by Luke Smith’s individual brilliance, helped Laanecoorie Dunolly secure their second premiership of the 2023/24 season with a seven-wicket success in Saturday’s one-day decider against Beaufort.
The win means that Laane have gone through 41 consecutive rounds without tasting defeat, and are still very much the team to beat with the season moving to the red ball.
Laane won the toss and elected to bowl, and their decision was vindicated in the early stages, with Zach Graham and Sam Bartlett bowling a very tight line, making it hard for Beaufort openers Kriss Ellis and Blake Jantzen to score quick runs.
Twenty-one runs were put on the board before Jantzen was the first man to go, hitting a Bartlett delivery to Graham.
Laane soon had a second wicket, with Sergio Rosier coming on and making an immediate impact, securing the wicket of Ellis, who skied a ball straight to Bartlett.
Not long after, Smith kept himself in the game out in the field. Despite missing a difficult opportunity to catch off the bat of Lachlan Oddie, Smith recovered quickly and directly hit the stumps as both Oddie and Jack Smith scampered back for a second run, removing the latter for five.
Oddie soon loomed as the key wicket, and both he and Jay English were successful in stabilising the score at the crease, putting on 28 for the fourth wicket.
But Ben Gunn soon came on and made sure he would leave his imprint on the game, bowling English for 13.
Another 15 runs were scored before Daniel Romeo came on and made a significant impact, taking the big wicket of Oddie, who jabbed at a ball, catching an edge straight to James Shorney.
Romeo was unleashed, and the rest of his teammates followed.
Graham had the next wicket, with Joe Kingsbury hitting a ball straight to Matt Smith at mid-on, before Romeo cleaned up the tail, quickly running through the next three wickets of Ben Woolidge, Craig and Ben Grant.
Rosier took the final wicket, clean bowling Shannon Brown for 17, as Beaufort were all out for 104.
Romeo took the plaudits, claiming 4/25 in his best performance of the season as he moved up to second on the bowling charts with 13 wickets.
However, it was a team effort from Laane, who bowled incredibly well as a unit. Sam Bartlett bowled three maidens from five overs in taking 1/5, while Rosier took 2/16. Graham finished with 1/28 off eight overs, while Gunn took 1/9 off five — highlighting just how economical the bowling unit was across the board.
It was a big task for Beaufort, as a result, and removing Luke is something easier said than done.
When he helped Laane score 10 runs in the first over, it looked to be a very comfortable task.
The introduction of English into the attack helped generate a wicket, however, with the competition’s leading wicket-taker adding to his tally by trapping Tom Hannett in front for LBW.
He almost had a second in two deliveries, with Rosier just keeping himself in his crease to prevent Craig from a stumping opportunity.
However, Luke and Rosier soon took up the challenge of getting the runs needed in quick succession.
A 49-run partnership was the result, with Rosier scoring 17 handy runs.
Oddie would break up the partnership, however, with Rosier dismissed for LBW.
Soon, Oddie would have a second, as he finished off a good personal performance by trapping James Shorney in front.
However, the day belonged to Luke, who finished off a fine individual white-ball campaign with an unbeaten 72, as well as the winning runs.
