Cricket: Lobbing a few tricky ones

Dion Lobb
Dion Lobb
Dion Lobb started his celebrations a week early.

Lobb (32) is due to play his 300th game of senior club cricket for Green Island this Saturday, and both player and club are expecting plenty of festivities that day.

But Lobb did something pretty special on Saturday at Sunnyvale which will take some beating this week.

He opened the bowling and proceeded to take nine wickets in the innings of Otago Boys' High School as the school side was dismissed for just 36.

Lobb took the first four wickets, before Russell Ritchie grabbed the fifth.

But Lobb, who bowls right-arm brisk medium pace, did not let anyone else into the wickets column for the rest of the innings, mopping up the tail and ending the innings in the penultimate ball of his 14th over. He ended with nine wickets for just 15 runs, bowling six maidens.

Lobb, whose previous best was eight for 34 a few years ago, said there was nothing unusual about the way he bowled on Saturday, on the artificial wicket at Sunnyvale.

''It didn't feel any different. I didn't do anything different in the warm-up. It was just one of those days when it clicked,'' he said.

''The ball was swinging quite well. Just a nice breeze coming across the pitch and that was getting my outswinger going.

''Plus the boys caught everything which came their way for once.''

Wicketkeeper Ben Williamson took four catches and a few other catches went behind the wicket. Not one player made double figures for the school side.

With the game all over by 12.30pm, as Green Island knocked off the target in just over seven overs, Lobb and a few friends spent the rest of the afternoon watching a bit of pre-season rugby.

Lobb has played one first-class game for Otago, in 2007.

Though detailed statistics are hard to locate for club cricket, Lobb's effort appears a rarity.

Former left-arm paceman Ben Hart took eight wickets for Green Island a few years ago while Lobb's uncle Ken Lobb took nine wickets in an innings many years ago.

This Saturday, Green Island will take on University-Grange and Lobb said it would be a big day with Ant Harris playing his 100th game for Green Island.

 

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