The cricket gods were smiling down on a Gold Coast bowler after he bagged six wickets in six balls on the final over of a one-day match on the weekend.
Key points:
- Gold Coast council worker Gareth Morgan says he is “happy to be a part of history” after his stunning feat
- His Mudgeeraba team were expecting a loss before Morgan intervened
- Morgan says the over is one of the best moments in his sporting career
The stunning feat was executed at the Carrara Community Centre on Saturday afternoon in the Gold Coast’s Premier League Division 3 competition.
Surfers Paradise needed five runs for victory heading into the last over with six batsmen available to make the runs.
But bowler Gareth Morgan, captain of the Mudgeeraba Nerang & Districts Cricket Club, had other ideas.
After removing Surfers Paradise opener Jake Garland for 65, Morgan mowed down the opposition’s tailenders to claim six wickets off six balls.
The first four dismissals were all caught, while the final two were bowled.
Morgan, a local council worker, is still pinching himself after attracting national media attention.
“It was very surreal,” he said.
Going into the final over, he decided against sending in one of his younger bowlers.
“I think I was more focused on trying to win the game for our boys,” he told the ABC.
“We’ve been going really well this year and we had a younger fella lining up to bowl, but I thought, ‘I’ll bowl — they can hit the winning runs off me, this younger fella doesn’t need that’.”
Bracing for a loss, Morgan’s hopes piqued when he claimed a hat-trick.
“I remember thinking after I got the hat-trick — I don’t want to lose this game now,” he said.
“Then it just went crazy.
“When I saw the stumps go back on the last ball I couldn’t believe it — I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Morgan will never forget the reaction from his team.
“Everyone was going wild. It was incredible, I don’t think anyone could believe it had happened,” he said.
“It was definitely up there with one of my best moments.
“I’m happy to be part of history.”
The record in professional cricket for most wickets in an over is five — Neil Wagner (2011), Al-Amin Hossain (2013) and Abhimanyu Mithun (2019).
‘The Morgan’
Cricket Gold Coast coordinator Barry van Peppen wishes he had been at the match to witness the miraculous deed.
“The news came through on the Cricket Gold Coast chat and I had to read it twice to believe it,” he said.
Van Peppen thinks the feat deserves its own title.
“If you bowl three in a row it’s called a hat-trick … I think six in a row should be called ‘the Morgan’,” he laughed.
“I was out to dinner last night and non-cricketers were talking about it … when you get non-cricketers talking about it, that’s a feat in itself.”
Van Peppen said there would be a special awards ceremony held in Morgan’s honour.
“He will have a few awards coming his way … I think he could probably retire tomorrow.”
Sports content to make you think… or allow you not to. A newsletter delivered each Friday.
Discussion about this post