Sport
6 March, 2026
Maryborough readies for finals against Clunes
Clunes will attempt to finish their season on a high note when they travel to Princes Park to take on the finals bound Maryborough.
When player unavailability forced the Owls to pull out of A grade last season following a one-win campaign in 2023/24, it would be understandable to think the closest Maryborough would get to an A grade Grand Final is by hosting it.
However, following a successful revitalisation in A reserve, the Owls are prepared to make a finals hoot in their first season back in the MDCA’s top division.
While the arrival of UK imports Alex Burrow, Oliver Bennett and Elliot Ashburn have certainly aided their rebuild, long-serving and emerging homegrown talent have also played vital roles.
After being one of the few bright spots in the aforementioned 2023/24 season with a team-high 12 wickets, Jasper Trickey continues to excel as Maryborough frontline spinner.
Trickey was instrumental to Maryborough’s finals clinching victory over Carisbrook last weekend, taking 4/33 in the thrilling 12-run win.
Oliver Cassidy is another rising star thriving in A grade, sitting just behind Trickey with 14 wickets.
While the youngsters have led with the ball, stalwarts like Martin Dell and Ben Hoban have been key cogs in a batting lineup led by Bennett’s 337 runs.
Despite only having seven innings this season, Dell sits 11th in the competition’s run-scoring charts with 313 runs at an average of 52.17.
Meanwhile, the Magpies will miss out on finals after a season filled with promising moments that never fully materialised into a finals push.
A landmark victory against Beaufort got their long-standing losing monkey off their back as they look to restock ahead of next season following some internal improve-ments.
Already making a name for himself in A grade with his searing pace, two-time J.C Hunter Cup winner Brett Coon has become a more developed all-round senior cricketer with 183 runs, third among Clunes batters.
Ahead of him in the team’s run-scoring charts is Ahmed Rehman, whose been a welcomed addition to the Magpies flock with 226 runs and seven wickets as part of a bowling attack led by Noah Davies.
While he’s slightly cooled off from his scorching early season peak, Davies has proven to be a valuable frontline bowler, currently fifth in the competition’s wicket-taking charts with 22.
It has been nearly four months since these two teams met back in round six, where the Magpies looked poised to cause an upset after bowling the Owls for 144 thanks to three-wicket hauls from Ritik Yadav and Dylan Davies.
Hoban crushed those ambitions with season-best figures of 4/21, giving Maryborough a tense 45-run victory.