Sport
6 March, 2023
Magpies’ most dominant day almost seals finals berth
Clunes have all but cemented their spot in the finals, needing just four more wickets to secure first innings points with Beaufort in what was by far their most dominant day of the season. Winning the toss and batting first, Clunes got off to a good...
Clunes have all but cemented their spot in the finals, needing just four more wickets to secure first innings points with Beaufort in what was by far their most dominant day of the season.
Winning the toss and batting first, Clunes got off to a good start, putting on 31 for the first wicket with Mitchell Coppick and Jude McGuire opening.
McGuire was the first wicket to fall, trapped in front for LBW by Lachlan Oddie while on 19.
The Crows had an avenue back into the game when two more wickets fell — firstly, Coppick edged a ball straight to Craig Grant on 14, before Charlie Dyer bowled Ashley Gunn for five to leave Clunes teetering on 3/43.
However, the Magpies soon had their most crucial partnership of the season so far. Daniel Fordham and captain Aidan Thompson put in a spectacular batting performance, putting on 114 for the fourth wicket to give them complete command.
Thompson, in particular, was leading from the front in their time of need, making an excellent 50.
The partnership ended with the score on 157, with Fordham edging straight to Grant off Dyer’s bowling.
Not long after, Thompson fell for 65, trapped in front LBW by Richard Stokes.
Brendan Ingram and Mark Allen put on a quick partnership for 24 as they were determined to push the score above 200, but Ingram’s departure, with Oddie taking a catch off Stokes’ bowling, triggered a Clunes collapse, with the Magpies losing their final five wickets for just eight runs.
Stokes had a fantastic spell, while Dyer finished things off with two more wickets. Stokes finished with figures of 4/34 off 17 overs, while Dyer had similar figures of 4/39 off 18 overs.
It meant that Beaufort needed to negotiate 12 overs before stumps, but would have been wary that wickets were starting to fall at a quick rate.
However, Clunes came out breathing fire as they were determined to seal a finals berth.
Gunn started the rot, taking the wicket of Kriss Ellis in the first over for a duck.
Blake Jantzen and Joshua Lofts needed a solid partnership to give Beaufort the best chance of getting into the game, but were unable to do so, with Jantzen next to go for five runs when Jaxon Smyth bowled him.
With just two more runs added to the total, the dynamic shifted Clunes’ way in dramatic fashion.
Firstly, Smyth took his second wicket when he took the key wicket of Oddie, before Gunn quickly took two more wickets, with Lofts (two) and Ben Woolidge (zero) also bowled to leave Beaufort in desperate trouble at 5/14.
Dyer and Stokes were looking to recreate their bowling heroics with the bat, but it was not to be. Smyth took his third wicket of the day to remove Dyer for four, leaving Beaufort 6/22. Incredibly, all six of Beaufort’s wickets had come from Clunes finding the stumps.
Stokes and Joel Pymer negotiated the remaining overs to finish 6/26 at stumps.
It was a great day for Clunes right when they needed it, with Smyth and Gunn at the forefront. Gunn led the way with figures of 3/8, while Smyth took 3/9.
Four more wickets will give the Magpies first innings points, while Beaufort will need a big turnaround to get themselves into an unlikely finals spot.