Sport
20 March, 2026
MDCA A Grade Semi-Final Preview — Laanecoorie Dunolly Vs Beaufort
One year on from their shocking semi-final upset, Laanecoorie Dunolly will look to rectify last season’s heartbreak and add another premiership to their dynasty against a red-hot Beaufort side attempting to break their own glass ceiling.
With their remarkable 60-game unbeaten run snapped by Carisbrook, Laane found themselves in an unfamiliar position compared to recent years, becoming the hunter instead of the hunted.
The season started a little wobbly, especially with the bat, leading to some nail-biting matches as a sense of vulnerability crept in.
However, as all great teams do, Laane has found a way to get the job done. Ever since their last-ball thriller against Colts Phelans in round eight, they have returned to their established dominance, culminating in their fifth consecutive one-day premiership.
Key contributors to Laane’s recent success remain. Reigning Ken Gibbs medallist Tom Hannett is having another superb season in his new role as captain alongside his explosive opening partner, Tom Hart.
With the departures of Zac Graham and Daniel Romeo, Sam Bartlett has kept Laane’s pace attack firing, also producing a remarkable batting record even with limited opportunities.
Hungry to remain one of the league’s top powerhouses, Laane has complemented its entrenched core with another injection of international talent, which included the return of 2024/25 Team of the Year member Alex Cook.
Nafis Shaikh has made scoring look effortless on several occasions this season, leading the competition with 532 runs as the resident number three in Laane’s order.
While Cook continues to cause trouble for opposing batters with his spin, his fellow UK all-rounder Josh Fitzpatrick has impressed with his blitzing pace and reliability in the middle order.
It will likely take a side playing at its best to put Laane under threat of elimination. Fortunately for the Bulls, their horns appeared to be sharpened at the right time.
With any dominant dynasty like Laane’s, some teams become casualties of their success, and Beaufort has routinely been denied in finals by Laane with two semi-final defeats and a one-day Grand Final loss in the past half-decade.
Starting the season with the aspiration of breaking their semi-final barrier, the Bulls showed flashes of promise but failed to click as a squad, resulting in two convincing losses to Laane during the one-day season and placing their finals hopes in danger.
Then, as the season changed to two-day matches, it finally clicked for Beaufort, scoring crucial wins over Maryborough, Colts and Carisbrook to turn their season around and make their third consecutive semi-final, a remarkable achievement after finishing rock bottom in 2022/23.
The only loss in Beaufort’s last four matches came against Laane, who scored 6/326 in round 14 thanks to fifties from Bartlett, Fitzpatrick and Matt Smith.
However, Beaufort showed some fight in their run chase not seen in their previous meetings with the one-day premiers, batting for the duration of day two thanks to a pair of talented recruits who have led the Bulls’ charge this season.
Motivated by bringing a premier-ship back to his home club, Brandon Walsh has been outstanding this season, replacing the production of the departed Tom Alexander with a league-leading 31 wickets to go along with his 300 runs.
While Walsh has led an improved bowling attack assisted by the continued excellence of Lachlan Oddie, the return of Jayden Scotland and the arrival of Theo Trevelyan-Clark, Jarrod Blandford has been a one-man scoring machine.
Despite only playing 11 games, the left-handed opener has placed him-self in Ken Gibbs Medal contention with 509 runs at an average of 56.56.