Some bowlers have done it, but a wicketkeeper performing such a feat is in a lot rarer atmosphere.
I have been covering cricket in Kyabram and the Goulburn Valley for over 60 years and can’t think of any keeper who may have done what Kyabram cricketer Billy McLay did against Mooroopna in Cricket Shepparton’s recent penultimate Haisman Shield round of matches.
In the game played at the Kyabram Recreation Reserve Billy snapped up a catch from nine of Mooroopna’s batters.
Five of the catches were taken off the bowling of competition leading wicket taker Sam Langley and three off his opening bowling partner and Kyabram coach Jackson McLay.
Jackson McLay was the party pooper in the Billy McLay Catching Show, with a caught and bowled dismissal of Mooroopna’s last batter.
The other wicket was claimed by English spinner Louis Sabbah-Holt.
The McLay Catching Extravaganza resulted in Mooroopna managing only 61 runs in its first innings.
Kyabram then pushed for an outright win in the game, and guess what?
Billy McLay failed to dismiss one batsman.
Not that he was too concerned after his first innings heroics and his team already scoring a first-innings win in the game.
Honour for Elliott
Former Kyabram Fire Brigade cricketer Justin Elliott has made a prestigious list of Cobram Cricket Club players and former players.
He was named one of Cobram Cricket Club’s best 12 players for the past 50 years at a recent reunion of the club featuring players from 1975 to 2025.
Elliott is a brother of former Kyabram and Australian Test opener Matthew Elliott and played cricket with Premier League club North Melbourne, Kyabram Fire Brigade and Cobram Cricket Club.
He finished his career with Fire Brigade a couple of years ago.
Wicked win
A large group of Kyabram owners savoured a runaway win by their pacer Wicked Wizard for Murchison trainer Shane Sanderson at last Friday’s Wagga trots meeting.
Shane’s son Ryan drove the pacer to his second career win in 14 starts with a dashing front-running performance over the 1740m trip.
The four-year-old McWicked gelding ran a sizzling 55.1 last half and returned a mile rate of 1.54.5 in beating the runner-up, Chrissy Eve, by nearly 14 metres in the most decisive win at the meeting.
Kyabram trainer Peter Hall and sporting identities Rob Whitford, John Linford, Tony Hansen, Brenton Sheppard, Steve Sharp and Rohan and Susie Bennett race the pacer, who provided trainer Sanderson with the first leg of a running double at the meeting.
Sanderson won the following race with Spirit Of Sahara, who settled midfield in the run and mowed down rivals four deep in the run to the judge.
His mile rate of 1.54.5 for the 1740m trip was a PB out of his three wins to date from 28 races, which include 13 minor placings.
There is a large ownership group in the pacer, with a couple of familiar names in P. Hornsby and D. Monteith among them.
Bombers set practice dates
Reigning GVL premier Kyabram will meet Bendigo League sides in practice games before the new season.
The Bombers will play Golden Square and South Bendigo in warm-up clashes.
The Golden Square game will be at Elmore on Saturday, March 14, while Kyabram will meet South Bendigo at a venue in Bendigo on March 21.
Golden Square is being coached this season by Kyabram premiership player Liam Barrett, who coached Murray League side Moama last year.
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