Sport
16 January, 2023
Red-hot Laane takes care of Owls after fantastic fielding performance
MARYBOROUGH 187 def by LAANECOORIE DUNOLLY 269 Maryborough gave it their all in pursuit of Laane’s formidable total of 269, but early wickets left them behind the curve all afternoon, and were unable to peg them back. In reality, it was three...
MARYBOROUGH 187 def by LAANECOORIE DUNOLLY 269
Maryborough gave it their all in pursuit of Laane’s formidable total of 269, but early wickets left them behind the curve all afternoon, and were unable to peg them back.
In reality, it was three early wickets as play resumed on day two which left the Owls on the back foot within the first 10 overs.
It was Daniel Romeo and Joe Lovel who were doing the damage early, restricting the Owls to 4/41 after getting three wickets to start the morning. Harry Lumsden and Tom Hart were the first two to depart thanks to Romeo, before Anthony Bourke was caught brilliantly at mid-off by captain Matt Smith off Lovel’s bowling.
The duo of Sam Bartlett and Mitch McClure were required to put in a big shift to help keep Maryborough in the game, and for some time, they were able to persist and frustrate Laane’s bowlers, putting on a solid partnership of 55 before Bartlett was next to go, with Lachie Condie making up good ground to take a catch at gully to remove him for 38.
Soon after, McClure was next to go, clean-bowled by Gunn for 24, and the Owls were in desperate trouble.
Thankfully for the Owls, their tail was able to wag a bit to ensure that they would be able to get a solid total.
Much of their work could be attributed to Lachlan Morganti, who made a fighting 58 against the tide, but he was running out of partners, with the likes of Martin Dell and Todd Doran unable to sustain significant periods at the crease to support him in the middle order, despite their best efforts.
Eventually, the Owls would be bowled out for 187, ensuring that Laane would take an 82-run victory.
Benjamin Gunn would be the star of the show for Laane, doing significant damage to the Owls middle order to finish with 5/38 off 25 overs, while Lovel (2/31) and Romeo (2/42) were able to give Laane a bit of comfort in the early stages of day two with their line and length bowling.
However, it was the fielding performance from Laane which should send shivers through the rest of the competition, with a committed performance in the heat yielding very few extras — just 11, in fact, while two good catches from Smith and Romeo respectively were highlights of their fielding performance.
Maryborough will now look to bounce back over the next two weeks when they host Clunes at Princes Park, while Laane will be heavy favourites to take care of bottom-of-the-table Beaufort at Goldfields Recreation Reserve.
