Sport
6 December, 2024
Winner-takes-all at Hedges as winner makes final
It’s a winner-take-all bonanza at Hedges Oval on Saturday afternoon as the winner progresses through to a grand final date on Sunday.
There is next to nothing separating both Colts Phelans and Beaufort on the ladder. Just 0.028 is the quotient difference on the ladder, while both teams are deadlocked on 24 points.
While neither team played last week, with Colts’ game against Laanecoorie Dunolly washed out and Beaufort having the bye, a number of stars were able to get their eye in with representative cricket on Sunday.
It was the Maryborough District Cricket Association’s win over Grenville where both teams had players who starred in the game with bat and ball, making this weekend’s game even more tasty for punters.
Beaufort opener Tom Alexander has been threatening a big score to go alongside his wicket-taking exploits with the ball so far this season, and on Sunday, he delivered his best knock yet, scoring an unbeaten 64.
Alexander’s knock was almost essentially chanceless — a devastating display of shotmaking which included some excellent and clever shots which allowed him to pile on the runs.
With the ball, Colts speedsters Max Jackson and Regan Goundry shone, with Jackson’s first stint alongside opposite number this weekend, Jayden Scotland, proving he would be a real handful for Grenville’s top order.
Jackson finished with three wickets, while there is a real case Goundry was the most consistent bowler of the afternoon, bowling four maidens from six overs, and taking 2/4.
That’s just a glimpse of the star power on show at Hedges on Saturday.
Four of the top nine batters in the competition so far will also play in this game, with Lachlan Oddie looking to back up his match-winning 83 against Clunes.
Oddie scored an unbeaten 60 in the last meeting between the two teams, while he also took a liking to the Hedges Oval deck last season, scoring 176 runs in two games.
Rhys Egan was another who played a big role in Colts’ last meeting with the Crows — delivering a crucial 60 while wickets fell around him, a critical anchor which helped Colts win by four wickets in the end.
Kriss Ellis and Thomas Grant will also be called upon to play a crucial role for the Crows’ top order, while the same will be said for Colts, with Goundry’s unbeaten 53 and four-wicket haul critical in their last meeting, while Charlie Scorer and Jackson will also be big-hitters in the top and middle-order.
With the ball, there will also be plenty of big contributors.
Alexander leads the way for both teams with 10 wickets, while Goundry and Scotland have seven wickets each.
Add in the likes of Beaufort duo Oddie and Joe Kingsbury and the Colts’ duo of Dayne Baker and Nick Henderson, and Saturday looms as a fascinating battle between bat and ball for both teams, especially given how much there is to play for.