Village cricketers take hat-tricks in same innings

Twenty-eight-year-old Ben Tomkinson took a remarkable 5-0 while 17-year-old team-mate Anton O’Sullivan backed him up with figures of 4-19 as opposition side Weald were skittled for 51

^{Ben Tomkinson and Anton O'Sullivan both took hat-tricks for Marden against Weald}

Two village cricketers playing for Kent side Marden took hat-tricks in the same innings of a match in a Kent County Village League Division 3 fixture against Weald CC in August.

Twenty-eight-year-old Ben Tomkinson took a remarkable 5-0 while 17-year-old team-mate Anton O’Sullivan backed him up with figures of 4-19 as Weald were skittled for 51.

O’Sullivan kicked things off with the first hat-trick of the day as Weald were reduced to five for three early on. Later, with the score on 45, Tomkinson ripped through the opposition’s lower middle-order to take them from five to eight down in the space of three balls before taking the final two wickets of the innings in consecutive balls to leave himself on another hat-trick ball.

Marden chased the meagre total relatively easily for the loss of four wickets, albeit having received three ducks in doing so.

Tomkinson, who recorded his second career hat-trick with the feat against Weald, reflected on the remarkable event.

The bowler said: “It was bizarre. It was pretty bizarre that I got 5-0, and that I was on a hat-trick for the next game too. Marden have been on quite a few hat-trick balls this season.

“Remarkably, no one’s found a similar story. The only one mentioned has been Mitchell Starc getting two hat-tricks in the same game but not the same innings.”

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On his wickets, Tomkinson added: “I bowled full and straight, with the ball coming in and the batsmen may have been done for pace. Three of my wickets were bowled and two were lbw.

“Anton bowled more of an off-stump line, so he got a catch but we targeted the stumps and it worked.”

What made the event even more extraordinary was the fact that Marden could not even field a full team in the contest.

“We had 10 in the field. Our barman, who doesn’t really play, said he would play if he had to but he didn’t have to in the end,” said Tomkinson.

Quite such a remarkable achievement required much celebrating. Tomkinson said: “We finished at 3.45 so we just stayed in the bar for about five hours. Anton is 17 so he couldn’t celebrate loads but I ended up leaving my car at the club and getting a lift back.

“It cost me quite a lot because I had to buy a jug for my five-for, a jug for my hat-trick and then two weeks after I scored a ton so I had to buy a jug too. It’s expensive playing!”

Team-mate O’Sullivan added: “I felt pretty surprised when I got the hat-trick as it was my first one ever and I hadn’t expected to get it. It certainly felt a little surreal when Ben took a second one although I did feel a little sorry for the opposition.

“It ranks pretty high in my cricketing achievements, especially having Ben take a hat-trick on the same day.”

Marden CC are on the lookout for players in the Kent region, contact cricketmarden@gmail.com for more information