THE feat of Numurkah pace bowler Tim Arnel taking all 10 wickets in an innings last Saturday has revived memories of a similar performance from a Tongala fast medium swing bowler 66 years ago this week.
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Arnel finished with 10/25 off 11.4 overs in Euroa’s second innings to engineer an outright win for his team in Cricket Shepparton’s Haisman Shield competition.
It is believed to be only the second time in the history of this competition a bowler has taken all 10 wickets. Katandra Cricket Club’s Rod McLeod is believed to be the only other bowler in this competition to take 10 wickets an innings — a feat he achieved against Karramomus in the 1993-94 season.
Tongala cricketer, the late Allan Corry, was representing the Kyabram District Cricket Association at Bendigo Country Week in 1953 when he turned on this lethal bowling stint.
On that historic day Allan took all 10 Gladstone Cricket Association wickets in the first innings. His bag of 10 wickets for 15 runs included the hat-trick.
Corry wasn’t satisfied with his first-innings heroics with the ball, taking the first four wickets to fall in Gladstone’s second innings before being banished from the Kyabram attack by captain Frank Howley.
‘‘I had taken 4/10 in Gladstone’s second innings when Frank told me to have a spell because he wanted me to be fresh for the next day’s play,’’ Allan recalled years later of his fabulous feat in taking 14/25 for the day. Due to his first-innings demolition Gladstone was dismissed for 39 and Kyabram won the game outright.
Corry finished that series at Bendigo — four games and the final — with 33 wickets at a cost of 157 runs at the incredible average of 4.7 per wicket.
He also captured three hat-tricks in that series with his 10-wicket haul in one innings never being equalled in the history of the series.
Despite Corry’s performances that day and week Kyabram lost the final to Gisborne.
Corry, one of Tongala Cricket Club’s all-time greats, played his last game for Tongala in the 1973-74 final against Tatura in which he took another hat-trick — the 24th of his career.
He also captained KDCA teams at both Bendigo and Melbourne Country Weeks in a 30-year career with the Tongala Cricket Club in which he also scored five centuries.
One of the great stories told about Corry was when he was invited by Victorian cricket authorities in the late 1940s to show his wares in a practice session with Australian Test captain Ian Johnson and Test player Doug Ring at the South Melbourne ground during a Melbourne Country Week series.
Johnson had the pads on and Ring threw the ball to Corry and said ‘‘let’s see what you can do, son’’.
Corry clean bowled Johnson with his first two deliveries and would have had him caught in slips with his third ball.
Loxton then faced up to the country bumpkin and looked back to see his stumps scattered on the ground with Corry’s first delivery.
The dairy farmer’s deadly bowling is said to have embarrassed the Australian players so much he never got another invitation to try his luck in the big time!
Bell goes the distance in Hobart
VETERAN local athlete Kevin Bell recorded another big performance to win his age group at the Tasmanian marathon and half marathon state titles in Hobart last week.
Bell won the 65-69 year age group half marathon over a hilly 21 kilometre course.
It was a big day for the family with his brother-in-law, ex-Kyabram sportsman and a former Kyabram Sportstar of the Year Stephen Bubb, winning the 60-64 year section in a 10km race at the same event.
Bell in the past few months has won Victorian State Duathlon Title, placed third in the Australian Duathlon Championship and finished 22nd at the World Triathlon Sprint Championship on the Gold Coast. He will now take a break to let his body recover after months of strenuous training six days a week.
Safety first for Fire Brigade star
There was a good reason for Paul Newman’s ‘no show’ for Kyabram in the opening round of Cricket Shepparton Twenty20 competition last Friday night.
Newman, one of two imports Kyabram was expected to bring into the line-up for the clash, pulled out because he didn’t want to risk an injury that could have prevented him playing for his home club Kyabram Fire Brigade.
Newman has to play the remaining games with The Flames to qualify for the Goulburn Murray cricket finals and the injury risk just wasn’t worth it, which is understandable.
In his first knock for the season on Saturday Newman made an unbeaten half century to show he’s going to be a key player in Fire Brigade’s bid for back-to-back flags.
Dorothy a huge loss for pony club
KYABRAM Pony Club has lost a stalwart with the passing of Dorothy Miles.
Dorothy was a co-founder of the club over 60 years ago and has been a club stalwart through the decades of the successful club.
Dorothy was the wife of another Kyabram community stalwart, the late veterinarian Dr Ernie Miles.
Thermo in the mix for Watson
KYABRAM trots trainer Mark Watson has ended a mini drought for local trainers with a win at Cobram on Monday.
Watson produced the Art Major four-year-old pacer Thermo for an easy first career win at his fifth start in a race. Ellen Tormey was in the sulky for the win on Thermo, who is owned in the same interests as Watson’s stable star, Brallos Pass.
Another Kyabram trainer, Mick Blackmore, produced smart trotter Jackson Square for his second country cups placing this season last Sunday.
Jackson Square, driven by John Caldow, finished a close-up third in the Wedderburn Trotters Cup, in which the winner, Jerichos Trumphet, ran a race record.
Shepp shines during country championships
THE recent Australian Country Cricket Championships hosted by Cricket Shepparton and the City of Greater Shepparton were voted a huge success.
It was a mixed bag for the Vics, with the women’s team claiming the crown for the first time but the men’s side falling to Western Australia in the final.
Cricket Shepparton clubs that provided the venues for the game earned the praise of the competing teams, with impressive afternoon tea spreads well received.
Big Tom Cat takes reins
FINLEY Football Club has a new playing coach for the 2019 Murray League season.
Home town product Tom Doyle has taken the reins from Rob Daniel.
A ruckman-forward, Doyle is on the verge of playing 100 games with the Cats after stints with Morningside in Queensland and North Fremantle in Western Australia.
Doyle has a talented young group of players emerging from Finley’s successful junior ranks that he is looking forward to developing in the coming season.
Honour for Moulamein
THE Edward River town of Moulamein has an unique honour bestowed on it.
It has claimed Murray River Council’s Community Event of the Year in the council’s annual Australia Day awards.
It was awarded for the local football club’s staging of the Golden Rivers Football League’s grand finals in September of last year.
It is the first time a club based in NSW has hosted a grand final in this league.
The league is now down to only two NSW clubs — Moulamein and Hay — after Wakool Football Netball Club’s demise late in 2018.