THEY may be at the opposite ends of their careers, but Port Fairy cricketers Brian Medew and Ben Heard now share a rare achievement.
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On the weekend both used their bowling skills to snare a hat-trick — the first for both.
The triple treat has come early in Ben’s career, with the 15-year-old taking three wickets in three balls in the Pirates’ game against Merrivale on Friday night.
Ben claimed the last three wickets to fall and did it in style, hitting the stumps on each occasion.
“Coming in for the third wicket I wasn’t really thinking too much about the hat-trick,” Ben said.
“I was just trying to get it on the stumps and that is what happened and the wicket came.”
It has been a busy start to the season for the youngster, who has played 15 games already ranging from under 15s, under 17s, division two, Twenty20 division one and on Saturday his division one debut against Dennington.
While Ben is turning out to be a young player going places in a hurry, the hat-trick for Medew was a high point in a decorated career.
Medew has more than 250 senior games under his belt for Port Fairy and the 52-year-old is showing no signs of slowing down.
This season he is the leading run scorer for the Pirates’ division two team and on Saturday he ripped the heart out of the Dennington batting line-up with the figures of 4/10.
Medew has been on a hat-trick many times previously in his career but had never iced the deal. The closest he got was hitting a stump with the hat-trick ball, only to watch on in disbelief as the bails stayed on.
On Saturday it was a lbw decision that ushered in wild celebrations.
“It hit the batsman on the foot and it was plumb, although the umpire took ages to give it. There was a bit of added theatre there I think,” Medew laughed.
“I was pretty happy and relieved when the umpire put his finger up and gave it out.”
Medew just missed a double hat-trick, with the next ball passing through the batsman’s legs before claiming another wicket with the next ball, making it four wickets from five balls.
Medew’s hat-trick was the 17th by a Port Fairy senior player and the first since Scott Bartlett took one against Nirranda in division two in round 10 of the 2006/07 season.
abrady@fairfaxmedia.com.au
