Sport
31 October, 2025
Clicking cogs: Brothers bother premiers
JACK Coghlan flew down from Brisbane last week to help his family with the harvest on their farm outside Bridgewater.
JACK Coghlan flew down from Brisbane last week to help his family with the harvest on their farm outside Bridgewater.
Then came the wind and the rain, hay baling was postponed, and Saturday suddenly became a lay day.
So, what better way to spend the afternoon than playing Upper Loddon association T20 cricket with brother James for the Bridgey Bulls against Kingower?
A golden duck for Brad Wickham from the first ball of the innings saw Jack stride to the wicket at first drop.
Then, when Lewis Lonsdale fell for one, and with the score on 2-1, James came to the crease.
They were separated 103 runs later when Jack was clean bowled for 56 runs off 47 deliveries, with three fours and two sixes belted over the fence at the picturesque Kingower oval.
James batted through to make 57 off 63 balls, his highest-ever score.
“It was good fun – good to help out when we can,” Jack said of his first time batting together with his older brother since their junior years.
Jack, 28, has lived in Brisbane since 2016, working as a builder and running a farm with his partner on which he is constructing Airbnb cabins. “I went there on a gap year, and enjoyed it, but I thought I’d then start work on the family farm.
“Then mum and dad said I should try something else, and I’m still in Brisbane.”
James, 29, remains on the Bridgewater farm, with Jack down for two or three weeks to give him a chop out at a busy time, and it was just serendipity that saw them free to play cricket together.
With the ball, Jack took 1-15 from four overs, the best return for the Bulls, and while the less said about James’ bowling the better, he took a great one-handed catch.
Jack’s figures could have been more impressive, as the Bridgey fieldsmen had a shocker.
“I dropped an absolute sitter, a caught-and-bowled that I thought about too much.”
“I don’t play cricket in Brisbane – I probably should after the performance on Saturday,” Jack said.
But first, weather and work dependent, there might be another chance for both to strap on the pads in another T20 match against Wedderburn this Saturday.
In winter Jack plays footy in Brisbane and has won flags in the past two seasons in the elite AFLQ with Mayne Tigers, and James is a premiership player with Sandhurst in the Bendigo league, with the pair having played junior football together with the Dragons.
Sadly, the brothers’ heroics with the willow weren’t quite enough to get the Bulls over the line against the reigning premiers.
Kyle Simpson was the pick of the Kingower bowlers with 1-17 from four overs, with Blake Pickles taking 1-22 and Ben Rose 1-32.
When the hosts came to bat, once again opener and captain Matt Rowe proved the match winner with a fine 63 not out from 53 balls, although he was dropped multiple times.
Late pyrotechnics from Pickles (18 off 10 with two sixes) and Tyler Murphy (20 not out from 14 deliveries) saw Kingower home on 3-130 with two overs to spare.
This Saturday’s second T20 round sees the Bulls travelling to Wedderburn’s tricky turf wicket.
Read More: Bridgewater, Kingower