Sport
27 February, 2026
Beaufort need 327 runs for massive finals boost
Completing the road to finals can be an arduous affair, but if Beaufort can conquer Laane’s mountainous total, they will find themselves on the precipice or over the finals finish line.
A Bulls victory and a Carisbrook loss to Maryborough are the magic ingredients the Bulls need to punch their finals ticket. Preventing a season-altering clash with Carisbrook next week and concluding a remarkable mid-season turnaround.
After their upset defeat to Clunes, Beaufort looked to be sitting ducks for Carisbrook, needing to preserve a three-point lead with Maryborough, Colts Phelans and Laane in their next three matches.
Hindsight proves the Magpies’ defeat did alter Beaufort’s season, but not in the way many expected.
Motivated to prove themselves as contenders, the Bulls reinvigorated themselves with two crucial victories over the Owls and Colts, increasing their top-four buffer to nine points.
While the main catalyst for their turnaround has come from their bowling prowess, led by Brandon Walsh, Lachlan Oddie, Theo Trevelyan-Clark and Jayden Scotland, the Bulls’ batting lineup will need to get the job done this time around after Laane scored 6/326 on day one.
After leading A grade in runs scored for the past five seasons, Laane continues to possess the most dangerous batting attack in the competition, filled to the brim with a glutinous amount of depth.
Heading into round 14, the reigning one-day premiers boasted five of the top 15 run scorers in the competition. Among that talented bunch are Sam Bartlett and Josh Fitzpatrick, who asserted their team’s control during a critical juncture on day one with a 110-run partnership.
With a combined 29 wickets this season, the duo will look to generate similar impacts with the ball on Saturday alongside Alex Cook, who’s flown up the wicket-taking charts recently.
As they face an extremely talented bowling arsenal that’s castled them for 96 and 137 this season, Beaufort will be unable to rely solely on the scoring prowess of the red-hot Jarrod Blandford, with several batters needed to complement their run machine opener.
The Bulls have the talent to pull off the improbable, led by two-time Ken Gibbs medallist Oddie, who would love a big score after averaging 6.5 in his last two knocks against Laane.
Walsh will hope to harness more of his early-season form with the bat, which included a hard-hitting 37 versus Laane and Trevelyan-Clark will want to replicate the breakout 71 he scored against Clunes.