Sport
18 March, 2024
Clunes holds out Maryborough in A reserve thriller
Clunes will be well-represented in Saturday’s Maryborough District Cricket Association grand finals, with their A reserve team winning through thanks to a thrilling 12-run win over Maryborough. Batting first at Princes Park, the Magpies got off to...
Clunes will be well-represented in Saturday’s Maryborough District Cricket Association grand finals, with their A reserve team winning through thanks to a thrilling 12-run win over Maryborough.
Batting first at Princes Park, the Magpies got off to a quick start thanks to Mark Jenkin, who provided the bulk of their runs in a first-wicket stand of 21, but was soon claimed by Oliver Cassidy for 18, with Lachlan Bursill taking the catch.
Daniel Fordham and Fred Penhall looked to continue their good start, with Fordham scoring 15 and Penhall 17, but when both fell, Clunes were 3/54.
It was soon 4/70 when Rajitha Perera was next to go, bowled by Kris Bagley for his second wicket.
However, the pairing of Dylan Davies and Todd Featherston proved to be a good one for the Magpies, and they were able to put on a 47-run stand.
That helped the Magpies get to 117, but there was still plenty of work to be done, with Featherston out for 21, with Daniel Petter claiming his first wicket of the day.
Davies continued on his good work, however, and was soon able to pass 50 in an excellent innings, while Josh Dunn also contributed 17 in a 34-run partnership.
Dunn and Brad Stevenson were dismissed quickly to leave Clunes on 7/152, before Davies went out for a well-made 57.
The Magpies eventually finished on 8/166.
Bagley, Petter and Jason Hunt took two wickets each for the Owls.
The Owls needed a good start to give themselves the best chance of chasing down their target, and James Scott and Bursill were able to make 34 runs for the first wicket.
But Stevenson soon got in on the act, bowling Scott for 13, before later claiming Bursill’s wicket for 25.
Maryborough were still in a good spot, with Hunt and Daniel Leahy helping get the score up to 82, but wickets soon fell constantly.
First, Leahy went for 19, with Penhall catching him off Muhammad Shehzad’s bowling, before Hunt went soon after, with Penhall taking another catch off Paul Coon’s bowling.
When Bagley was bowled for five off Dunn, the Owls were suddenly 5/109.
However, Bradey Tranter was still in, and was the key wicket for the Magpies, while he needed to step up as he has all season long.
He got to 31, but was soon caught by Penhall off Brett Coon’s bowling to leave Clunes as the favourites as they got into the tail.
Brett had a second wicket when he was able to lure Troy Bursill into a shot straight to Daniel Fordham, while Petter made nine before he was run out by Davies, who was enjoying a stellar day.
Sam Thomson made 17 as he fought to keep the Owls’ season alive, but was caught by Daniel Burnett off Dunn’s bowling, and Davies finished off the job in the final over to run out Pravin Yadav for one to give the Magpies their win.
The Magpies will now meet Talbot in the final, determined to overturn an 80-run loss in their last meeting.