Sport
3 March, 2026
Jasper’s tricks bowls the Owls to famous victory
Maryborough’s A grade renaissance will officially crash the finals bash, clinching a top four spot with a thrilling 12-run victory against Carisbrook.
As the game sat in the balance with the hosts 5/149, young spinner Jasper Trickey produced the performance of a lifetime, taking four consecutive wickets to bowl his team to victory.
While the Owls secured a semi-final berth, Saturday’s defeat is a crushing blow for Carisbrook, now needing an unlikely outright victory against Beaufort to snatch a top four spot at the death.
Despite torrential downpour and lightning strikes in Carisbrook overnight, which threatened to affect Saturday’s resumption, day two managed to commence as planned.
However, with dark clouds hovering above Carisbrook Recreation Reserve and the rainfall slowing the outfield, conditions favoured Maryborough’s restocked bowling attack.
With captain William Coutts unable to resume his unbeaten start to conclude day one, Liam Mottram was substituted in to join Elliot Cullinan at the crease as Carisbrook resumed on 0/38.
Mottram added four runs to Coutts’ unbeaten 13 before Elliot Ashburn gave Maryborough an early breakthrough, with Mottram caught by wicketkeeper Troy Bursill.
The new pairing of Elliot Cullinan and Brayden Wright looked poised to get Carisbrook back on track until Oliver Cassidy delivered a decisive double blow.
The left-arm seamer got Wright to be caught by Martin Dell for 10 before removing fellow star teenager Elliot Cullinan for 28, thanks to a catch by Tate Williams.
All of a sudden, Carisbrook’s prosperous opportunity to gain much-needed ground on the top four was slipping away, sitting perilously at 3/58 with 139 runs still needed.
A hero for Carisbrook on numerous occasions throughout the years, Dean Nalder played with his patented aggression as he attempted to wrestle Carisbrook’s destiny back into their hands alongside the more reserved Jordan Hooper.
Nalder seemed to be the catalyst with three quick fours before his innings came to an abrupt end on 18, hitting a Ben Hoban delivery straight to Oliver Bennett.
Led by Hoban and Liam Maffescioni, the Owls were hooting for another breakthrough before the tea break, but Hooper and the new man in Atticus Cullinan kept plugging away, surviving some devious deliveries to bring the required runs down to double digits.
Just as the new partnership seemed to settle, Hoban conjured a second breakthrough, as Hooper skied a short ball that fell into the waiting hands of Ashburn, with the catch sending Hooper packing for 16.
Carisbrook was running out of lives at 5/108, desperately needing a significant partnership to cut into the 89 runs required for victory.
Placed in a critical situation, the new partnership of Atticus Cullinan and Chris Lee began to turn the tide for the hosts.
season coming from powerful strokes flying to the boundary, Atticus Cullinan showed a new side to his batting, displaying prolonged temperament as we waited patiently to score runs.
Alongside Lee doing a sublime job protecting his wicket, Carisbrook were clawing themselves ever closer to the finals places, now needing 48 runs with five wickets still in hand.
However, things can turn on a dime in cricket, and fortunately for Maryborough, Trickey delivered the spark they desperately needed.
Brought into the attack just before the interval, Owls captain Dell showed faith in his young spinner with an extended spell.
Trickey provided instant return on Dell’s investment of confidence, completing a caught and bowled to dismiss Lee for seven before sending his teammates into raptures by dismissing Atticus Cullinan for 39 thanks to a Dell catch.
Trickey’s double trouble looked to be the death blow for Carisbrook, suddenly 7/149 with two new batsmen at the crease.
Then, the game’s complexion threatened to change again, as the blend of the experienced Martin Mark and the youthful Axel Purcell was sending nerves back into the Maryborough camp.
Fresh off a sublime 51 in his last knock, Mark looked to be the glue of the lower order, while Purcell, who scored a century for the MDCA in the under 17 Kirton Shield earlier this year, was also proving to be a thorn for Maryborough.
Trickey finally plucked the Purcell thorn from the Owls’ wings, getting Purcell to be caught by Ashburn for seven as Carisbrook still needed 30 runs with two wickets remaining.
Eight runs later, Trickey delivered the dagger, getting Mark caught by Maffescioni for 15.
Ashburn finished the job when Angus Morrison was caught by Liam Radlof for seven, bowling Carisbrook out just 13 runs shy of a potentially season-changing victory.
Trickey deserves all the plaudits for his performance, taking a vital 4/33 from 12 overs.