Sport
9 November, 2023
Short-form smash for first grand final as Laane faces Clunes
The first grand final of the year is set for Sunday afternoon, with reigning champions Laanecoorie Dunolly hosting Clunes at True Blue Floors Oval. The two teams have taken vastly different paths to the grand final, with Laane going through...
The first grand final of the year is set for Sunday afternoon, with reigning champions Laanecoorie Dunolly hosting Clunes at True Blue Floors Oval.
The two teams have taken vastly different paths to the grand final, with Laane going through undefeated, while Clunes, following a tight battle with Colts Phelans, Carisbrook and Beaufort, secured their spot on quotient percentage following a strong win over Maryborough last week.
In either case, both teams have been rewarded for putting together strong campaigns, particularly with both bat and ball.
Laane have had a strong start, and the form of their top order has been virtually faultless.
It’s something that captain Matt Smith has taken notice of, while also playing around with his batting and bowling lineup.
“The team has taken on a lot of confidence from our early-season form,” he said.
“The T20 competition is something that we’ve rehearsed well, and we know what is expected of ourselves and what is required at different parts of the game.
“Sometimes, teams can overcomplicate it and lose their composure, but we have a good understanding of our game plan and what is needed.
“We have had the opportunity to throw the ball around and change the batting order to give people the chance to have a hit and get some confidence with the bat too.”
Smith has been impressed with the top order, which has combined for 409 of their 572 runs so far this season, with Luke Smith (145 runs), Tom Hannett (139) and Sam Bartlett (125) all playing their roles, with Bartlett — who has yet to lose his wicket so far this season, impressing Matt.
“We recruited Barty to do what he is doing. He is a great talent and has tremendous experience,” he said.
“We wanted someone who can sum up the game situation well and is comfortable being in the thick of it, taking the responsibility to step up and get the job done with both bat and ball, which he’s done remarkably well. We couldn’t be happier with how he’s going at the moment.”
Matt’s assessment of Luke took a turn last week against Beaufort when he impressed with the ball, taking 4/9 in a match-winning spell.
“Luke is a classy batsman — there’s no doubt about it. To get the overs and the wickets out of him has also been a blessing. We didn’t know very much about his off-spin bowling, but he has shown that he is capable to play a role when required, and he’s enjoying it too,” he said.
Matt was wary of the danger Clunes possess with both bat and ball.
“Clunes are a very even team, and have added to their depth. They are very steady with the bat and the ball,” he said.
“We know we have to play 40 overs of good cricket on Sunday to get the win. Our strength is that we are a strong batting team, and that’s what we’re best in, but Clunes have good strike bowlers, and they’ll be relying on them to do some big work early in the innings to take wickets and hold us up a little bit.
“Clunes will have their plans to unsettle us. They’ll set different fields for different batsmen knowing their strengths, and we do the same thing.”
Matt added that he wasn’t really fussed about batting or bowling first, while also taking notice of how they’ll approach playing Clunes in two separate formats across the weekend.
“We’re not overly fussed whether we bat or bowl first,” he said.
“We were happy to chase early in the season while we were finding our feet, but we have a beautiful batting wicket at Dunolly, so we’d be more than happy to bat first if given the opportunity, put a good total on the board and defend it.
“It will be interesting playing them on the Saturday and the Sunday. We’ll have a different team across both days, but we are hopeful that both communities come out to Dunolly on Sunday, support the league and showcase a good game of cricket.”
For Clunes captain Mitch Coppick, it’s been a dream start to life leading from the front, scoring two half-centuries, and guiding his team into the first decider of the year.
A relaxed Coppick is looking forward to Sunday’s decider.
“I can’t wait. The boys are pumped, and it’s a good thing for the competition. It’s great playing in the big games, so it’s very exciting,” he said.
“We know our best cricket can keep up with anyone. The boys are enjoying things at the moment, and it has shown in our results.”
Like Laane, Clunes have shown impressive batting depth, with Coppick’s 140 runs leading the way. Recruit Lachlan Morganti (93 runs) and Brenton Jones (80) have also batted well in the early stages of the season — something that Coppick believes holds the Magpies in good stead.
“We have a lot of batting depth this year, and we back each other in. We do have quite a few guys who can back themselves in and make a solid score,” he said.
However, it’s the Magpies’ bowling lineup that provides the most intrigue.
Ash Gunn has had an unbelievable start to the season, sitting third on the bowling charts with seven wickets at an average of just 8.86 — one of the best in the competition.
Coppick is also impressed by the form of Noah Davies (seven wickets), Jaxon Smyth (six) and 13-year-old Brett Coon (six), who Coppick believes has added another dimension to his lineup.
“We believe Ash Gunn is the best bowler in the competition, and Jaxon Smyth has also had an unbelievable to start the season. He is in some seriously good form. He probably hasn’t taken as many wickets as he should, he’s just bowling really good. And Brett Coon, as a 13-year-old kid, has added so much to our bowling lineup,” he said.
“Noah Davies has been fantastic, and we’re really starting to see the rewards with him. Again, he is only 19, but he has improved in leaps and bounds. That’s what our club is about, we get improvement out of guys like him.
“I couldn’t be happier with the way our bowlers are going about it this year.”
Sunday’s grand final looms as a good battle between two excellent fielding teams, with Laane conceding the fewest extras in the competition, and Clunes having the most run-outs with five.
It’s something that Coppick knows will decide the game on Sunday.
“Little things in cricket, and our fielding, go a long way towards winning, stopping crucial runs, especially in the shorter formats like T20s,” he said.
While Clunes lost their first game of the season to Laane after losing 9/19 in their innings, Coppick wasn’t too fussed, saying it was just a good chance to get the run into the legs.
“We put a line through that game straight away. It was our first blowout of the year, and we’ve been able to show what we have done since then. We believe we can stand up against them at our best,” he said.
Coppick agreed with Smith that it should be a good showpiece event.
“Playing them on the Saturday and the Sunday is exciting. It’s great to have two good clubs battle one another out across the weekend,” he said.