Some people become obsessed about how “agonisingly close” they had come to taking one, or mull over how many times they have been within a mosquito’s wing of finally accomplishing the feat. Actually, it’s funny how people have stopped wanting to listen to me talk about the twenty eight times in my cricket career I have failed to convert two wickets in consecutive deliveries into that elusive hat-trick... though perhaps that story is for another time.
Keeping in mind the rarity of the event, the record of twenty hat-tricks achieved in all four Grades of the Kiama Cricket Club since 1946 is probably about par. Every one of those hat-tricks has their own story. Some are simple and straight forward - others are more interesting, unusual, and intriguing.
Phil Maloney’s hat trick against Oak Flats B Third Grade at Bonaira Street in 1987 came as a part of career-best figures for him to that stage of his career.
Bowling in the second innings, after Kiama had fallen for just 80 chasing Oak Flats B’s 91, Maloney bowled unchanged from the Kendall’s Beach end, finishing with 7 for 54 from 18 overs in a marathon effort. His hat-trick came toward the end of the innings, picking up Edwards, Oliver and Waterman as his consecutive scalps. Maloney’s bowling figures may have been even better had his opponents not declared nine wickets down in an attempt for outright points, which Kiama failed by five runs to chase down when stumps were drawn.
The Hartley family has had a huge influence on the Kiama Cricket Club over many decades, so it should come as no surprise that one of them was able to snare a hat-trick. Perhaps the only surprise is that eldest brother Ian Hartley was the only one to do so in Grade cricket for Kiama. He did however choose the day that his brother Alan made his 1st Grade debut to perform the feat, and that sidebar was to become more fortuitous than either would have imagined.
Playing Gerringong at Kiama Showground on November 3rd 1973, Ian, like Phil Maloney some years after him, bowled unchanged through the first innings. On the face of it, his spell was certainly shorter and perhaps more damaging. He had the first two wickets Boxsell and Skeers back in the shed with the total on just three – both caught by younger brother Alan on debut. A recovery of sorts took place, until with the score on 17 Hartley struck again, this time bowling Norm Carradus for 7. Jeff Grant came to the crease and immediately edged behind to keeper Keith Brown. Barry Watkin replaced him, but was powerless to stop the next delivery careering into the stumps, giving Hartley his fifth wicket for the innings as well as completing his hat-trick.
After a mini-recovery Hartley removed Malcolm Thompson to have all six wickets in the innings to that point. A run out, along with Milton Cox coming on first change and snaring two wickets, stopped the procession, but he managed to pick up one last wicket, once again with the help of Alan, whose three catches as a fieldsman on debut in First Grade is unmatched in Kiama history. Ian finished with 7 for 25 in that innings, and his 3 for 8 in the second gave him his first ten wicket haul in First Grade.
Tony Douglas completed the Second Grade match against Gerringong in 1970 in victory for Kiama with his hat-trick. His first two wickets came from the final two balls of his sixth over, leaving Gerringong at 8 for 27 chasing 138 for victory. Brian Dore bowled a wicket maiden in the following over, before Douglas bowled Mick ‘Flash’ Ashmore for a golden duck to complete his trio of wickets.
Five years later, and having changed his allegiance to the Kiama club, 'Flash' himself took a hat-trick in the Third Grade match against Lake Illawarra on March 1, 1975. Kiama had lost first innings, and having set Lake 108 runs to win outright on the second afternoon, they needed their bowlers to stand up and provide some real penetration. Fortunately, 'Flash' chose this moment to take a stand, with the Lake batsmen having a real crack at chasing down the target in the few overs available to them. Bowling through the innings with Allan Snelling at the other end, 'Flash' ran through the Lake batting, finishing with 7 for 33, including his hat-trick which he took in the middle order. Combined with his 5 for 41 in the first innings, and his 32 runs in the first innings with the bat, and the match was a personal triumph.
In his first match for Kiama in the newly merged S.C.D.C.A competition, Arthur Pepper completed a hat-trick in the second innings against Tullimount Second Grade on November 9th, 1946. It was late on the second afternoon, with Kiama having secured a one run lead on the first innings. In those days there was no bonus points system, so with little time left Tullimount was left to bat out the afternoon as best they could. In his third over, J Willis tried to loft Pepper over cover but only found Haddy Canham’s safe hands, which took the catch. The following delivery, new batsman McCormack played an identical shot, for an identical dismissal. Enter B Willis, whose brother was the first wicket to fall. No doubt aware of the situation, he apparently tried to defend a straight delivery from Pepper, but only managed to leave a gap between bat and pad which the ball squeezed through, completing the hat-trick by losing his middle stump.
Ben Lidden marked his arrival in Kiama with a hat-trick on debut, and in First Grade as well. Playing in the opening round of the 1952-53 season against Jamberoo, Lidden had to cool his heels while the quartet of Allan Snelling, Bill Longbottom, Leo Henry and Nev Regan all had their opportunity at the batsmen on show. Jamberoo, with only ten players, had progressed along to 6 for 110 before ‘The Lithgow Terror’ was thrown the ball. His early deliveries were swift but erratic in length, and enough for those watching to confirm his nickname was justified. With his sixth delivery he uprooted the stumps of Hogan, who must have been confused as to what he would receive next. Whether this was playing on the minds of the incoming batsmen is impossible to tell, but Lidden’s next delivery was similar to the previous one, and left the stumps scattered. Noel Hamilton was the final batsman to the crease, and his feet were rooted to the spot as he flayed at another Lidden screamer, but only managed to nick it through to keeper Len Bickel to complete the hat-trick. Much was made of this over in the Kiama Independent and through word of mouth in the following week, but it mostly came to nothing. In the second innings Lidden went for none for 25, and played only four other matches during the season, all in Second Grade. Four further matches in Second Grade the following season were the final in his career with Kiama.
Steve Buchan was a medium pace bowler who played Fourth Grade with the premiership teams in the early to mid 1990’s. His hat-trick came against the old foes, Gerringong in the first match after the New Year break in January 1994. His first two wickets were straight forward, but it was his third victim who, from all reports, stole the show. In an attempt to throw off the bowler, the batsman charged at the bowler before he released the ball, but then also moved back into his crease at the point of delivery. The resulting shot was part slash over slips, part self preservation, part defensive prod. The problem was, the ball was of a good length, and it crashed into the stumps. Play was apparently held up for some time as both sides tried to recuperate from their laughter following the event.
Arguably the Kiama Cricket Club’s greatest player, Bill Longbottom, took three hat-tricks for Kiama in the years after the Second World War, more than any other bowler.
His first was in the second round match against Jamberoo Second Grade on October 28, 1950. Jamberoo had secured first innings points in a low scoring derby, and had then batted on through most of the second afternoon without looking to exploit an outright result. At 7 for 177 it appeared as though they were going to bat until stumps, until the re-introduction of Longbottom to the attack saw all three final wickets fall in successive deliveries. Willie Jones, who had opened the innings and made 89 was the first to go. This exposed numbers ten and eleven to the wily medium pacer, and he soon cleaned them up to complete his hat-trick, bowling the number eleven Alexander to put the issue beyond doubt.
His second hat-trick came in the following season, in the First Grade match against Albion Park at Kiama Showground played on the 16th and 23rd of February, 1952. The match itself was one of the best (statistically) of Longbottom’s career. Albion Park won the toss and batted first, and had made a pretty good fist of the innings at 4 for 95 before Longbottom forced their hand, destroying the middle and lower order. The last six wickets fell for just ten runs and the innings closed at 105. Longbottom finished with 5 for 25, his first five wicket haul in First Grade in the S.C.D.C.A competition. Kiama’s reply was not sufficient to take first innings points, falling for just 81 runs. Needing to make immediate inroads, Kiama’s captain Keith Young, who had bowled Longbottom at second change in the first innings, now decided to throw him the new ball – with devastating results. With the score on just two, Longbottom crashed through the Park top order, clean bowling Mick Pearson, John Stubbs and Des Stubbs with three deliveries. He ended up bowling through the innings, with Albion Park being dismissed for just 60. Longbottom finished with 6 for 17 for the innings, a match haul of 11 for 42, and Kiama went on to win the game outright.
Is it possible to beat that for a match effort? 11 wickets for the match, five in each innings, and a hat-trick in the bargain? Most of us would believe not. But most of us aren’t Bill Longbottom.
Kiama won the toss in their second round match against Albion Park First Grade at Kiama Showground on October 17, 1953, batted first, and went on to score 177 in their first innings. Batting in the middle order, Longbottom contributed the top score of 33 runs, proving his all round value once again.
Albion Park began their reply, and apart from the loss of Williams had most along steadily to 1 for 25, before skipper Arthur Hall made a bowling change, bringing Longbottom into the attack. And so began one of the most remarkable spells of bowling in Club and District history.
The first three balls of the over passed without event. The fourth ball found John Stubbs, already a part of one Longbottom hat-trick, lofting to Allan Snelling and being dismissed for 12. The fifth ball of the over was to Beattie, who had crossed while the catch was being taken the previous delivery. Beattie failed to learn from his dismissed partner, hitting that delivery to Alan Carson who also took the catch, dismissing the batsman for 12. With the batsmen crossing again, it was left to Crocker to see out the hat-trick delivery, but an edge saw him snapped up by Leo Henry, and Longbottom had completed yet another hat-trick.
But the fun didn’t stop there. Connaughton came to the crease to face the seventh ball of Longbottom’s first over, but he was just as ill-equipped to handle the seaming and swinging ball, and only managed to nick it through to keeper Len Bickel to complete a rare ‘double’ hat-trick of four wickets in four deliveries. The next batsman Brooker was able to see off the final delivery of the over, leaving Longbottom with 4 for none off one over, and Albion Park reeling at 5 for 25.
Longbottom began his second over by conceding a three to Ken Hickey. Whether this was a ploy or not is unknown, but with his following delivery he bowled Brooker, meaning he had taken five wickets in just seven deliveries. The rest of the over failed to see either wickets or runs, leaving Longbottom with 5 for 3 off two overs.
His third over was more eventful, with two further wickets. With the first ball of his fourth over, Longbottom dismissed Des Stubbs, closing out the Albion Park innings at just 36. Longbottom’s 3.1 overs had brought him the unbelievable figures of 8 for 3. And as Albion Park had only ten players on that day, it is not stretching the realms of possibility to think that he would have finished with nine wickets had they had their full allotment on that day.
Albion Park followed on and was dismissed for 58 in their second innings, leaving Kiama as victors by an innings and 85 runs. Longbottom’s figures in the second innings? None for 29 from six overs. Cricket is a great leveller, but the great ones do shine brightly on more occasions than not.
