Sport
9 February, 2023
Take two for important derby clash
Let’s do this again for the round, shall we? With the first day of play completely wiped out for all A grade teams last weekend, tomorrow’s play will be of heightened importance, particularly for Colts Phelans and Maryborough, who look likely to...
Let’s do this again for the round, shall we?
With the first day of play completely wiped out for all A grade teams last weekend, tomorrow’s play will be of heightened importance, particularly for Colts Phelans and Maryborough, who look likely to play one another when finals roll around.
With this game reduced to 40 overs per side, it’s effectively another one-day game, but this time, without the fielding restrictions.
Here’s hoping the game resembles the last time these two teams played to finish the one-day home and away campaign in December.
On that occasion, a strong top order performance had Maryborough well-poised, with Mitch McClure making 61, while Sam Bartlett and Martin Dell made 31 apiece.
But a middle-order collapse meant that Maryborough finished their 40 overs on 8/177, with Wayne Stubbings taking 4/25 as the chief destroyer. Matt Scott also chipped in, taking 2/31.
In response, Maryborough got off to a good start when they restricted Colts to 2/31, but slowly but surely, the boys in blue were able to start to get on top, with Ed Foreman and Rhys Egan sharing in a 62-run partnership.
Foreman crafted an excellently-made 50 before being dismissed by Ben Hoban, who had threatened to turn the game on its head with two wickets.
However, Nathan Stubbings and Matthew Scott got Colts home in a result that sent them to the one-day grand final, ultimately taking a five-wicket win.
Looking ahead to Saturday, both teams’ recent outings suggests that it will be a battle of Maryborough’s ability to score at an impressive clip, while Colts Phelans have been able to take all 10 wickets in quick time.
Colts were able to take all 20 wickets in the space of 78 overs in their last outing against Beaufort three weeks ago, while their diverse bowling attack were all able to get in on the act, with all six bowlers that were used taking multiple wickets, with Richard Clark taking four for the game to lead the way, while Ben Stubbings, thanks to his 3/5 in the Crows’ second dig, was also able to contribute heavily.
In the meantime, Maryborough’s outing against Clunes showed that they have started to become a consistent threat with the bat, having the ability to take games away from the opposition while also scoring at a quick run rate.
In that game against the Magpies, they scored at an impressive 4.9 runs per over, with McClure and Bartlett leading the way. In fact, it was the fourth time in their last five games that the Owls had scored at a run-rate above 4.4 runs per over.
All of it points to an intriguing battle tomorrow which could decide who gets home final bragging rights come the end of the season.