By JARROD POTTER
BEN Proctor will have a hard time besting his senior debut of last weekend.
The 13-year-old right-arm seamer from Tooradin has made his second match extremely difficult to live up after the first – considering he debuted in the Seagulls’ senior ranks with a hat-trick.
Playing for Tooradin’s C Grade team against Cardinia in the West Gippsland Cricket Association, Proctor ran through the Bulls’ lower order at Rythdale Recreation Reserve en route to the hat-trick and match figures of 3/14.
Charging in for the 37th over, Proctor claimed his first two wickets caught.
“It was just a normal wicket – as I didn’t know what was going to happen next.
“First and second were both caught and the hat-trick ball I just wanted to get him out… basically to get a hat-trick.”
He had a couple of sage cricket minds come over to him to talk him through the hat-trick ball, with Tooradin president Rick Holland and gun bowler Peter O’Hare also in the side.
“Quite a few actually -the captain and Richard Holland – he’s like another captain – came up to me and said ‘just pitch it up there, nice and full’,” Proctor said.
“I tried and got lucky and got him out.”
Pure elation took hold of the young seamer who was thrilled to accomplish one of the rarer statistical achievements in cricket.
“I was excited… I was happy… best moment of my life basically,” Proctor said.
“They ended up taking a photo with me with the stumps afterwards.
“I was just stoked… it was my first hat trick and it doesn’t come along too often and I got it before my brother (Adam) did.”
Proctor wanted to thank the team for supporting him while he was on for his first hat-trick.