Sport
10 October, 2025
MDCA 2025-26 Season Preview — Colts Phelans
After years of falling just short of the ultimate prize, Colts Phelans finally broke through in 2024/25 to win their elusive premiership.
Following their one-day Grand Final defeat earlier in the season, the Colts entered the finals looking best placed to challenge the Laanecoorie Dunolly powerhouse for the flag.
However, with Laane knocked out of the finals picture early, the Colts capitalised with two six-wicket hauls. First, Dayne Baker ripped through Beaufort to guide the Colts to the Grand Final, where Ben Evans stole the show, dismissing six of the first seven Carisbrook batters on the Colts’ way to the premiership.
It was a long time coming for a team that had been on the precipice for so many seasons as part of the MDCA’s elite teams, but according to Colts Phelans selector Gary Wagstaff, the club is aware they will have to improve to remain the MDCA’s best.
“With the evenness of the competition, we will be looking to win enough games to make the four. Then we can plan moving forward,” he said.
If the Colts are to go back-to-back, they will have to do it with a revamped core after an eventful offseason.
Club stalwart Rhys Wagstaff has stepped into the role as A grade captain from the very successful Rhys Egan, who will remain a key cog in the A grade side after making 298 runs last season, including some key knocks near the end of the season.
That statement cannot be said for last season’s game-changing English triad of Max Jackson, Charlie Scorer and Regan Goundry, who have not returned to the club for 2025/26.
The trio combined for 1076 runs as the club’s top three scorers at the heart of the batting order during the home and away season. They were also key to the Colts' riches in bowling depth last season, taking 39 wickets between them with the ball.
With their departures leaving a massive void in the Colts' lineup, the club has recruited aggressively to fill that void immediately.
Following the success of Jackson, Charlie Scorer and Goundry, the Colts are optimistic an English quartet will bring about even greater results, with Abdaar Ishaq, Asim Akhtar, Jack Gallimore and Luke Patterson jumping on the Colts saddle for the upcoming season.
All four imports are expected to deliver with both the bat and ball, with Ishaq a top-order batsmen who can do damage as a medium pacer, Patterson and Akhtar powerful hitters to complement their bowling prowess and Gallimore a crafty medium pace swing bowler who can contribute late in batting innings.
The club hasn’t just added international talent, with Tarkyn Balzan returning to the club following a six-year stay at the Napoleons Sebastopol Cricket Club in the Ballarat Cricket Association and multiple-time Bendigo District Cricket Association Team of the Year member Josh Collinson joining the Colts.
With the recruits needing time to acclimatise themselves to the MDCA, coupled with some early injury concerns and player unavailability, Gary Wagstaff expects the Colts to hit their stride as the season progresses.
“Our four English recruits this year are all very handy players in different aspects of the game, it will take a few games to become familiar with Australian conditions, being harder wickets than in England,” he said.
“(Balzan and Collinson) have played a higher grade of cricket and hopefully will bring some form of leadership to the playing group.”