Tamworth’s Lara Graham had the national under-15 cricket championships abuzz after claiming a remarkable double hat-trick.
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The ACT-NSW Country medium pacer snared four wickets in as many balls on Sunday to skittle Victoria Country for 72 in their fourth round clash.
Already looking a bit shaky when Graham entered the fray, they were in disarray by the end of her 1.2 over spell as she finished with a dazzling 5-1.
She picked up her first wicket her third ball, bowling Molly Ward.
After a dot, she then careened the ball into the stumps of Eloise Allen-Burns and Olivia Baker to finish out the over.
Starting her next on a hat-trick Graham bowled top-scorer Lucy Cripps, and then Mardie Hamilton in successive deliveries to wrap up the Vic Country innings.
“She just bowled at the stumps,” Graham’s father Peter said.
It was the teenager’s first double hat-trick, but not first hat-trick.
She picked up one a couple of years ago in Armidale against Sydney East at the Combined High Schools championships.
“Everybody was talking about it yesterday (Sunday),” Peter said.
“It went berserk on Facebook.”
Graham even received a like on Facebook from an Australian Test cricketer.
“She even had Steve O’Keefe like it,” he said.
“She was tickled pink with that.”
Graham had the chance to bowl at the spinner when he conducted clinics in the region last year.
She followed up her stirring spell with 2-2 off two as they defended for a 64 run win over Western Australia in their afternoon game.
They then assured themselves a place in Tuesday’s final with a 10 wicket win over Tasmania on Monday morning.
Graham and Jess Davidson went wicketless as ACT/NSW Country restricted Tasmania to 6-50 on the way to a 10-wicket triumph.
