0 
0 It was a Saturday in the middle of March.
It was a semi-final of the JD Durham Shield.
It was the blackest day in Wakehurst Black history.
Chasing Cromer third grade’s 55 at Cromer Park, the Black were all out for seven.
And the carnage was scarcely believable.
There were eight ducks. Five of them were golden ducks.
The fall of wickets was 4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,7,7.
Wakehurst’s highest score was four – by opener Angus Cipri
The second-highest score was two – by wides.
One man held out – Kai Connors – who stone-walled the rampant attack for 39 balls while compiling one.
The destroyers for Cromer were 17-year-old opening bowlers Josh Buchanan and Daniel Reay.
In his second over Buchanan took a double hat-trick (four wickets in a row): caught, caught, bowled, bowled.
Reay took a more conventional hat-trick with wickets on the last two balls of his third over and the first ball of his fourth.
Buchanan bowled four overs with two maidens and took 4/4.
Reay bowled five overs with five maidens and took 3/0.
Earlier Wakehurst Black had been cock-a-hoop after they had rolled Cromer for just 55 (Sam Kemp 4/6), at one stage having the home team 8/21.
But a rear guard action from CCC captain Greg Rollins (24 off 45 balls) saw Cromer claw their way to a total still considered miniscule but in the circumstances more than competitive.
Neither Rollins nor Black captain Kemp could be reached for comment.
Unfortunately for Cromer their luck ran out in the grand final a week later when they couldn’t defend 9/93, with Manly League Club’s opening bat Rinaldo D’Souza smashing 76 from 95 balls with 8 fours and 4 sixes.
