Macedon’s Eamon Cooper has joined a select cricketing group after taking a double hat-trick on Tuesday night in Gisborne and District Cricket Association’s T20 competition.
During Macedon’s match against Lancefield, Cooper took four wickets in as many balls, something every cricketer would normally only dream of.
The 16-year-old took two wickets off the final two balls of his third over and he then had to wait a whole over before he could go for the hat-trick.
“The boys didn’t actually realise I was on a hat-trick,” Cooper told the Star Weekly.
“Once I got the third wicket, I told the boys that it was a hat-trick. They quickly got around me and there was a few high fives.”
A double hat-trick was the last thing on Cooper’s mind after achieving his first ever hat-trick.
The feat has only ever once occurred in international cricket, when Sri Lanka’s Lasith Malinga took four wickets in as many balls against South Africa in a one-day match.
“I was not even thinking about four in a row, I was happy with a hat-trick,” Cooper said.
“The ball went in the air and thought someone catch it. Zac Watkins managed to catch it. I couldn’t believe what happened.
“The batsman at the non-strikers end then asked how many balls were left and joked that I could bowl them out.”
He finished his four overs with figures of 4-22 in Macedon’s loss.
Cooper, in his first season in senior cricket, doesn’t consider himself as a T20 player as being a leg spinner players tend to go after him.
He has taken six wickets in five games in the GDCA’s B-grade competition.
“It has been good and hopefully I keep going alright and get a few more games,” he said.
“A couple of the senior players have tried to have a go at me and hit me around.
“Hopefully I can take a few more wickets this season.”
Despite Macedon’s loss, they qualified for the semi-finals of the district division competition where they will play Ashfield.
Lancefield will play East Sunbury in the other semi-final.
In the premier division, Riddell’s unbeaten start to the season continued as they defeated Sunbury.
They will now play Romsey in the semi-finals.
Bacchus Marsh and Sunbury United play each other in the other semi-final.
