Sport
19 October, 2023
Colts and Beaufort out to get back on winners list
Colts Phelans will look to get back on the winners list this week, while Beaufort will be seeking their first win of the season in a double-header weekend. Colts will come into both games desperately seeking runs, having made just 69 against...
Colts Phelans will look to get back on the winners list this week, while Beaufort will be seeking their first win of the season in a double-header weekend.
Colts will come into both games desperately seeking runs, having made just 69 against Laanecoorie Dunolly from their 20 overs last week as they were unable to shake the line and length bowling across the board.
However, in Beaufort, they’ll be coming up against the leakiest team in the competition at this early stage, having conceded 245 runs across their two games so far.
The Crows simply couldn’t kick into gear with either the bat or the ball, and were made to pay with a 52-run defeat to Clunes last week at Mr Mobility Oval.
In particular, the Crows were left reeling at 6/17 at one stage after an inspired Magpies outfit ripped through their top order.
Colts will likely get an opportunity to settle into a rhythm in the one-day game on Saturday, a format where they looked quite comfortable last season, having made over 100 runs in every encounter.
It could also be a chance for the likes of Rhys Wagstaff and Sebastian Borg to get their eyes in at the top of the order, with the new pairing having the ability to make quick runs.
While they could only manage two wickets last week, it masks the fact that Colts’ bowlers have bowled extremely well, particularly captain Dayne Baker, who has conceded just 15 runs from eight overs this season.
Meantime, for Beaufort, too much at the moment is being left to the middle and bottom order with the bat.
Two top order collapses in their two games so far have proven costly, and new English recruit Jack Smith was left to pick up the pieces last week, top-scoring with 25.
That came a week after middle-order batsmen Jay English (17), Joel Pymer (24), Ben Woolidge (11) and Zachery Dally (18) were left to try and get the Crows back on track in their first game against Carisbrook, while Richard Stokes (17) provided some late hitting in that game.
With the ball, English was the clear standout last week, taking 4/16, which included two wickets in two balls as he dismissed Josh Dunn and Fred Penhall in successive deliveries.
In the T20 format, it’s been almost two years since the two teams have met, with Colts Phelans taking a 39-run victory last time the two teams met in 2021, while in the one-day format, Colts took a seven-wicket win last year.
