Sport
10 December, 2024
Smith’s first goal met in Laane’s 50th season
You couldn’t wipe the smile off Laanecoorie Dunolly captain Matt Smith’s face after Sunday — the first box of Laane’s quest to claim the ultimate glory in their 50th year celebrations ticked off with ease thanks to their one-day premiership.
One could sense Laane feel refreshed given the nature of their win — having to negotiate a Colts Phelans team that threw everything towards the cause in a high-scoring decider with both bat and ball.
Smith also had to negotiate two curveballs on the morning of the game.
Firstly, there was the matter of the game being switched from Beaufort to Carisbrook — something which didn’t deter Smith, given Laane’s record at the ground.
“With the game being switched, we were happy to play at either venue, but in our three games at Carisbrook across the last couple of seasons, it has been favourable for us getting runs on the board, so it’s a ground we certainly bat well at,” he said.
Secondly, a freakish rib injury to Sam Bartlett in the early hours of Sunday morning meant a reshuffle of his bowling and batting plans.
“The Barty injury, he’s a massive loss for us. He bowls so well at the top of the order and he bats so well through the middle,” Smith said.
“I touched on it before and after the game that the bowlers have to shoulder the load and the batsmen have to step up and take extra load and responsibility, and I can’t fault them — they all stepped up.”
As always, however, Smith narrowed the game down to moments, and simplified it down to who executed the basics better throughout the afternoon.
“It feels great. Honestly, it just felt it could go either way, and I said it would be a game of moments to the boys before the game,” he said.
“The team that would do the basics well or better, making the most of their moments would walk out of there winners. Luckily, it went our way.”
Sunday was new territory for Laane for the first time in some years — having to bat first instead of being the ones chasing down whatever was thrown at them.
Luckily for Smith, an average score of 281 batting first so far this season meant that he could look ahead with confidence when it was confirmed that Colts would indeed bowl first as they won the toss.
“I probably felt like if Colts won the toss, we would probably have to bat first, and they’d try to back themselves in a chase and force us to post a target, and we haven’t done that in a big game for quite a while, so it was new territory for us,” he said.
“But we took a lot of confidence from the fact that when we’ve batted first all year, we’ve posted some impressive scores and been able to get away, so I told the batters you have to do what you do best.”
Smith could take confidence in the likes of Tom Hannett and Zach Graham playing their roles throughout the afternoon.
“Tom Hannett is just so reliable at the top of the order, it’s rare that he goes out early, he always gets us away to such a good start and he knows his role very well,” he said.
“Zach, since sliding down the order and batting through the back overs, he hits the ball so clean and he has an ability to hit the gaps as well. He’s comfortable in that role and really enjoys it.
“It’s a luxury to have him batting at six or seven moving forward in these sorts of games.”
It was eventual best-on-ground Kamaljot Romana who was the star of the show, however, putting aside a dropped chance when he was scoreless to make a majestic 114.
Smith was in awe of Romana’s innings.
“He’s a wonderful talent and we’re very lucky we have him with us. He got lucky early on, but from then on, he hit the ball really well, he timed everything so beautifully, hit the gaps, hit a lot of good balls to the boundary as well,” he said.
“He’s a special talent, and the good players step up in the big games, and he certainly did that.”
With Laane defending 240, and a run rate of six required from Colts, Smith knew he needed moments.
Luckily for him and his team, one was forthcoming on the very first ball, with a Graham half-tracker catching the toe of opposing captain Rhys Egan’s bat, and ensuring they’d take a wicket.
“Rhys Egan is a real player for them and a real threat, and to get him with that sort of ball was something that went our way,” Smith said.
“But the 100-run partnership, those guys batted well, but we knew at the same time we were ticking overs off and the required run rate was going up, so we don’t mind if partnerships build, but if the run rate goes up, we know the screws are going to have to be turned up at some point and some chances were coming.”
That 103-run partnership Smith referred to, between Max Jackson and Charlie Scorer, kept Colts in it with the bat, but Smith knew his charges had plenty in reserve if the wick needed to be turned up, and it was the work earlier in the day, he says, that also helped set things up.
“I remember saying to the boys that we were two balls away from breaking the game open and turning it, and Alex (Cook) came on and took two wickets in the one over, and that took a lot of air out of the game,” he said.
“We have addressed in the past that if you run well between the wickets, you can pick up 20 or 30 runs; if you field well, you can save 20 or 30 runs. You think about how many games are decided by 40 to 60 runs.
“It was a perfect example of saving and running well — it can be the difference in the game sometimes, and I have no doubt those things added up.”
Smith is quick to point out that it’s still December, that plenty can change between now and March, with red-ball cricket now taking hold.
“Red-ball cricket changes again, it’ll be different. We have four games before finals, so we have to make sure we switch modes pretty quickly, and we get the balance right with how we want to play with bat and ball,” he said.
“Going from 40 overs to 80 is a big change, and there’s a skill and an art to it — it’s no different for other teams in the competition as well, and you have to make sure you bat your overs and change gears.”
Irrespective of that, it’s the chance to claim more silverware in their 50th season as part of their current dynasty which clearly drives Smith.
“The 50th year for the club is fantastic and we want to make sure it is a memorable one, and to have two teams playing here is great, but success is fantastic as well,” he said.
“We are doing a lot of things right off the field as well, we have a great culture and that all helps with winning I suppose and being successful, but it’s another step.
“The one in March is the one we really want to win in our 50th year for sure.”