By Lachlan Onions
SOUTH GAMBIER 9/214 d EAST GAMBIER 10/27 and 7/192
THE majority of cricketers will go their entire careers without taking a hat-trick and even some of the greatest to grace the game never achieve such a rare and difficult feat.
South Gambier’s Robbie Drenthen does not fall into this category.
In a dominant bowling display he claimed his second hat-trick of the Barber Shield season on Saturday against East Gambier.
It was another unforgettable spell from the Demons’ all-rounder as he took 7/4 off nine overs to give his side a dominant first-innings win which left the hosts shell-shocked.
The Bulldogs started play in difficult batting conditions which made South’s 214 set on day one seem all the more imposing.
Runs were difficult to come by and the opening pair scored eight off as many overs before Camron Jorgensen claimed the first wicket of the day in the ninth over as he dismissed James Sullivan for six runs.
Jakob Opie claimed a wicket the following over as Aiden Creasey was caught behind after he added just two runs to his side’s cause.
Emerson Marks departed to Opie two overs later and at 3/12, the pressure was on Ben Hentschke and Dion Stratford to turn the game around.
The pair dug in and after 23 overs, East was 3/18 but what happened in the next three overs will go down in Barber Shield history as one of the competition’s best spells of bowling.
Dion Stratford was caught behind off Drenthen on the second delivery of the 24th over to make it 4/18.
Then Drenthen struck again the very next ball as he bowled Ben Robinson for a golden duck.
Bulldogs captain Alex Hentschke faced the unenviable task of facing a raging Drenthen on a hat-trick.
He survived the hat-trick ball but failed to make any indentation to the scoreboard before he was caught by Jorgensen at the end of an impeccable over from Drenthen.
It was a case of lightning striking twice, as just two weeks prior the South Gambier veteran ripped through the East middle-order in similar fashion during the Big Bash final.
On that occasion, he claimed three wickets in one over, but this time Drenthen dealt hammer blows to the Bulldogs in more than one over.
With his first ball off the 26th over, South’s main man claimed another wicket when Connor Little was caught behind for a golden duck and once again, Drenthen was on a hat-trick.
Wicketkeeper Alex Hill came in at 7/18 and this time, Drenthen claimed his hat-trick.
Hill was struck on the pads and given LBW to make it 8/18 and there were wild scenes as the pace bowler claimed his second hat-trick of the season.
However, Drenthen was not done as Marc Roberts was caught behind by Stephen Easterbrook three balls later to make it 9/18.
East had no answer for Drenthen as he ended the over with figures of 6/0.
However, he was not done yet.
Angus Clarke put up some fight but was eventually dismissed by Drenthen, who claimed his seventh wicket of his spell to end East’s innings on 27.
With the first innings win in the bag, South sent the Bulldogs in to bat again with still over half a day’s play left.
It was another less than ideal start for the Bulldogs as Opie dismissed Creasey and Ben Hentschke in the second over to make it 2/3.
However, as conditions improved, Sullivan and Marks fought back and dictated terms.
After a 60-run third-wicket stand, Sullivan was adjudged LBW off Ryan Kuhl to bring in Stratford.
Unlike his first innings, Stratford dominated and combined with Marks to reduce the possibility of an outright win for the visitors.
Marks made it to 50 before he was stumped by Easterbrook off Jed Sims, while Michael Sims dismissed Stratford after he scored an impressive 76 runs of 94 balls.
The home side made it through to stumps at 7/192 after 46 overs were bowled in the second innings.
Opie and Jed Sims were the best with the ball as they both claimed two scalps each, while Michael Sims, David Vine and Ryan Kuhl all took one wicket.
South Gambier’s victory means these two sides will face-off again at Alan Scott Park this weekend in the semi-finals, with the winner to play either Penola or West Gambier the following weekend in the grand final.
