Sport
24 December, 2024
Six for Romeo as Laane too good for Crows
It was Daniel Romeo’s day at True Blue Floors Oval as his six-wicket haul helped propel Laanecoorie Dunolly to a comfortable 223-run victory.
Romeo’s haul was the second time he had been able to collect six wickets in a game, the other time being the T20 grand final — also against Beaufort — in late 2021.
It didn’t take long for Laane to get the dream start they wanted after a productive day last week where they made 326 runs.
Joshua Lofts was first man to go, with Alex Cook taking a catch off Romeo’s bowling for one.
A sharp catch from captain Matt Smith at short leg removed Thomas Grant, giving Romeo his second wicket of the day, before he claimed the big pole — Lachlan Oddie missed one, and the ball cannoned into his off-stump.
Beaufort, at that stage, were 3/13, and were in desperate trouble.
To his credit, Thomas Alexander was staying in and doing what he could to help maintain his end of
the bargain, but wickets were falling all around him.
Kriss Ellis was next to go, with the Crows captain skying a ball straight into the waiting arms of Smith at square leg for three.
Alexander was good value for his 19 runs, but he was soon next to go, and it was 5/30, when Cook bowled him.
The Crows’ British connection would soon help improve the score, with Lyle Aichroth and Joe Kingsbury helping put together their most productive batting of the day.
Aichroth was productive in protecting his wicket, but it was Laane who were continuing to ask all the questions,
Eventually, they’d get another breakthough, and it was Joe Lovel’s turn to get in on the act, with Aichroth jabbing a ball to Cook for 12.
Kingsbury worked very hard to get to 27, but Laane were just able to generate too many chances not to take wickets, and Lovel recorded his 10th wicket of the season soon after when Kingsbury tickled the ball straight to Tom Hannett behind the stumps.
Blake Jantzen, at this stage, was working hard for the Crows trying to get the score up to 100, but he was running out of partners.
Daniel Taylor was the first to go of the Crows’ tail, caught by Tom Hart off the bowling of Kamaljot Romana for nought.
Jantzen almost single-handedly got the score out to 100, hitting three fours in what was a fairly enterprising knock, but Laane would soon finish off the day.
Fittingly, it was Romeo who did the job, taking the final two wickets to move to outright third on the wicket-taking ladder, with Jayden Scotland bowled for six, and Ben Grant knocked over for a duck.
The win means Laane are still very comfortable on top of the ladder going into the Christmas break, while Beaufort are two games behind Colts Phelans in third position.