Sport
24 February, 2026
Trifecta of fifties powers Laane to 326
For the second week running, Laanecoorie Dunolly has surpassed 300 runs with the bat, setting an imposing target of 327 for Beaufort to chase down this weekend.
With the game threatening to go either way as the visitors sat on 3/83 after 33 overs, a 110-run partner-ship from Melbourne Country Week standouts Sam Bartlett and Josh Fitzpatrick changed the game’s complexion.
A similarly superb stand from Matt Smith and Amar Ullah completed another impressive showing for Laane, who finished on 6/326.
Following some impressive showings with the bat at senior and representative level recently, Alex Cook was promoted to open the batting alongside his captain, Tom Hannett.
Charlie Dyer brought an end to that experiment in the fourth over, getting Cook caught by Harrison Grant for three.
With a stunning hundred against Maryborough in his last A grade knock, Nafis Shaikh looked to deliver similar damage to Beaufort when he joined Hannett in the middle.
After extended spells from Dyer and Jayden Scotland, the Bulls handed the ball to Theo Trevelyan-Clark and Lachlan Oddie, hoping they would be the solution to the growing Hannett and Shaikh conundrum.
Trevelyan-Clark cracked the code in his second over, bowling Shaikh for 23 to give Beaufort a vital breakthrough.
As Bartlett walked to the crease with Laane at 2/46, the contest slowly ground into a stalemate.
While Hannett and Bartlett looked calm and collected, Trevelyan-Clark and Oddie did not allow many easy runs with some consistently sharp bowling, as the duos produced an intriguing battle.
A bowling change did the trick for the hosts, as captain Brandon Walsh earned his 28th wicket of the season by snaring the big fish of Hannett, bowling the opener for 38.
As they entered lunch with Laane still three down, both teams knew the proceeding 10 overs after the break would be critical to how the remainder of day one would play out.
Fortunately for the visitors, Bartlett and Fitzpatrick settled together like peanut butter and jelly, navigating a testy period and beginning to accelerate away from the Bulls.
With both batters surpassing their half-centuries with plenty of overs left in the day, Beaufort was desperate to deliver a roadblock to the turbo-charged partnership.
Upped stepped Grant, who gave the Bulls a shot of adrenaline after getting Bartlett caught by Jarrod Blandford for 64.
Four overs later, Trevelyan-Clark removed the second piece of the destructive 110-run partnership with Fitzpatrick caught by Dyer after a season-high 70.
With Bartlett and Fitzpatrick behind them, the Bulls were determined to make quick work of Laane’s lower order, with Walsh getting Tom Hart to be caught by Lyle Aichroth for seven to place Laane at 6/221.
Smith and Ullah had other ideas however, compiling on Beaufort’s upcoming gauntlet with another innings-changing partnership for Laane.
The 105-run unbeaten stand included a combined 10 fours and two sixes, as Smith and Ullah finished unbeaten on 59 and 45 respectively to guide Laane to a final total of 6/326.
Trevelyan-Clark and Walsh were the standouts with the ball for Beaufort, with the English pacer taking 2/71 from 15 overs and Walsh snaring 2/42 from 60 deliveries.