Sport
17 February, 2026
Spinful six for Cook completes Laane’s victory
A magnificent six-wicket haul from Alex Cook made Maryborough’s mammoth run chase impossible, allowing Laanecoorie Dunolly to extend its lead atop A grade with a commanding 170-run victory.
With their leading pacers Josh Fitzpatrick and Sam Bartlett largely rested after key performances in the MDCA’s Melbourne Country Week, Laane relied heavily on spinners Cook and Amar Ullah, resulting in the pair tearing up the Owls with a combined eight wickets.
Maryborough stalwart Martin Dell was the bright spot in a disappointing run chase, maintaining his exceptional form this season with a hard-hitting 66.
Following their successful 66-run partnership against Beaufort the round prior, Ben Hoban and Liam Radlof opened the batting for the Owls, tasked with laying the foundations to a burdensome climb.
While Hoban started his knock with a methodical approach, Radlof wasn’t afraid to take some risks, scoring several early boundaries off the Laane pace attack.
With Hoban and Radlof getting off to a solid start, Ullah and Cook were introduced into the attack, wasting no time causing a Maryborough top-order collapse.
It started when Ullah dismissed Radlof for a solid 29, caught by the reliable hands of Nafis Shaikh. Then, Cook claimed Maryborough’s other opener, trapping Hoban for an LBW dismissal after a stubborn eight from 58 balls.
That brought Maryborough’s leading run-scorer Oliver Bennett to the middle, who stayed at number four as he did in round 12 after spending the entire one-day season at the top of the order.
After Cook caught and bowled Ben Robertson for four, Bennett’s stay came to an abrupt end, becoming Ullah’s second wicket when he hit a ball straight to Tom Hannett after making four.
In the blink of an eye, the Owls were a sturdy 40 without loss to desolation at 4/51, with an incredibly challenging run chase becoming increasingly tougher.
Credit to the new partnership of Sam Ross and Dell, they were steadfast in battling following Laane’s quartet of breakthroughs.
However, Cook was bowling like a Terminator sent back from the future to eliminate Maryborough’s batters, ending the pair’s resistance by crashing into Ross’ stumps after he scored four.
Even Cook’s fellow countrymen weren’t safe from his wrath, with Burrow sent packing for eight after hitting a Cook delivery to Ullah and Elliot Ashburn removed for one thanks to a catch by Fitzpatrick.
The contest was all but lost for Maryborough after falling to 7/83, giving freedom to Dell and the new man in Troy Bursill to be expansive with their shot selection.
The veterans combined to add 32 runs before Bursill was bowled by Shaikh for 14.
With Bursill removed, Dell upped his tempo to Presto alongside Jasper Trickey, storming past his half-century after some excellent shots that even Princes Park couldn’t contain.
Trickey lasted 30 balls before being bowled by Cook for six, completing the Englishman’s second six-wicket haul for the club after a mesmerising 6/7 versus Colts Phelans in his Laane debut last season.
Will Chamings completed the innings for Laane by ending the superb knock of Dell for 66, thanks to a Tom Hart catch that officially bowled Maryborough all out for 153.
Cook’s outstanding bowling performance ended with figures of 6/23 from just 11 overs, while Ullah also impressed with 2/41 off 16 overs.