Sport
20 March, 2026
MDCA A Reserve Semi-Final Preview — Colts Phelans Vs MKM
After playing one of the most thrilling games in the MDCA’s recent memory, Colts Phelans and MKM will rematch with a spot in the A reserve Grand Final on the line.
In the midst of a truly gripping finals race, the fates of these two teams have been heavily intertwined ever since a fateful afternoon at Ron Sinclair Oval.
For the second year in a row, the Colts are the only team to qualify for both senior semi-finals, but that achievement looked virtually impossible a little over a month ago.
With six games left in their campaign, last season’s runner-up was nine points off the top four and seemed destined to slip even further at the tail end of their round 14 clash with MKM.
After bowling the Colts out for 152, the Mill were cruising at 4/141, a position they would convert into a victory 99 times out of 100.
However, in an astonishing twist of fate, Aaron Balzan was Mr One Percent for the Colts, causing an almighty MKM collapse with figures of 4/7 to give his team an improbable four-run win.
It was a new high point of a truly dramatic season for the Colts, with seven of their matches decided by 25 runs or less.
Since that historic comeback, the Colts have been unstoppable, winning five consecutive matches, including a massive five-wicket triumph over Beaufort Red to sneak into the finals as the second seed.
Meanwhile, the Mill was forced to reckon with a shell-shocking defeat, which placed them in a do-or-die situation, needing to run the table in their last four games to crash the postseason party.
With their backs against the wall, MKM completed the gauntlet, defeating Carisbrook, Laanecoorie Dunolly, Beaufort Blue and Clunes to clinch their finals spot on the final day of the regular season.
While the likes of Jarrod Nedelkovski, Sebastian Borg and Chris Freeman have produced good seasons with the bat, it has been MKM’s destructive bowling attack that’s been at the heart of their success this season.
In the home and away season, the Mill was tied with Avoca for the most wickets taken and holds a massive lead in runs allowed, conceding on average just 98.7 runs a game.
Muhammad Haseeb Khan remains a star for MKM. Even with his bat cooling after making 360 runs last season, his bowling has been immaculate, taking 30 wickets at a ridiculous average of 7.33.
Tristan Tack, Freeman and Nathan Leist have also impressed in spells this season, giving opposing batters nightmares at the crease.
It takes an extremely talented batting lineup to contend with MKM’s bowlers, talent that the Colts have showcased throughout the season.
UK import Luke Patterson, Daniel McGregor and Bayden Macintyre have led the Colts to score 2273 runs in the regular season, which ranks second in the competition.
During their late-season turnaround, the Colts’ bowling has matched their batting’s game-changing abilities in large part due to a dose of Balzan magic.
After bowling just one over in the first 13 rounds, Balzan has taken 15 wickets at a ludicrous average of six. That incredible run includes a five-wicket haul versus Beaufort Blue and a hat-trick against Mary-borough.
While Balzan-ity has rocked A reserve, Ethan Chaplin and Patterson have remained reliable wicket-takers, taking a combined 33 breakthroughs to complement Grant Rogers’ 15 and McGregor’s 14 in just eight matches.
Alongside their astonishing round 14 comeback, the Colts also defeated MKM back in round five thanks to another remarkable turnaround.
After being 4/8, a classy 42 from Macintyre allowed the Colts to surpass triple digits before a Patterson three-wicket haul led to the Mill being bowled out for 86.