Victorian Premier Cricket: Hasrat Gill takes a hat-trick for Melbourne

Fifteen-year-old Hasrat Gill had a match to remember when she lined up against Plenty Valley in Premier Cricket on Sunday.

Melbourne hat-trick hero Hasrat Gill.

Hasrat Gill didn’t have to wait long for her first hat-trick in women’s Premier Cricket.

It came on Sunday for the 15-year-old Melbourne prospect.

And luckily for Gill the great Karen Rolton – the Demons’ match day coach – was on hand to capture it on video.

The Melbourne players jumped for joy for their young teammate.

The Dees were playing Plenty Valley and Gill took the seventh, eighth and ninth wickets, her hat-trick coming via a sharp leg-side stumping from coach Teagan Parker.

The haul included Plenty Valley No 3 Jasmine Nevins, bowled, after she had made 27.

The Bats were all out for 60 in reply to Melbourne’s formidable 4-306.

Gill is an accomplished left-hand batter as well as a leggie, and is regarded as one of Victoria’s best under-age players.

Last season she won the women’s Second XI player-of-the-season award and captained Endeavour Hills in the Sub-District John Craig Shield.

“She’s a huge talent. She’s been earmarked for a few years now as an exceptional young cricketer,’’ Parker said.

“She bowled offies a couple of years ago and took a ridiculous number of wickets. Last season she decided she was going to bowl leg-spin and she’s taken to it like a duck to water.

“She’s got a really good cricket brain, knows her game inside out and has a really good head on her shoulders. She’s going to go far with her cricket.’’

Gill – who helped Melbourne to the female Under 18 Premier title earlier in the month – has taken 17 wickets in Premier Firsts this season, helping Melbourne stay undefeated.

Predictably, the Demons were too strong for Plenty Valley in a top-against-bottom fixture.

Rhiann O’Donnell fell two short of a century, caught at mid-on as she tried to hit over the top, and with Parker (31) put on 105 for the first wicket.

Amy Vine clattered 80 not out off 84 balls (with 12 fours) and Elly Donald (34no off 24 balls) hoisted Melbourne past 300.

“It was a really good performance by our girls. It was nice to get 300, which is something we’ve been trying to do for a couple of years, and we bowled exceptionally well. Can’t complain,’’ Parker said.

Hayley Brennan, bowling with fire, took two wickets in her first over and went on to 3-12 off 5.2 overs.

Ella Hayward slipped in with 2-5 off seven.

Plenty Valley was weakened by the departure of some seasoned players before the season and has yet to win a game.

Parker agreed the eight-team competition needed the Bats stronger.

“They’re definitely in that rebuild phase. We were there 10 years ago,’’ she said.

“They’re trying to learn as much as they can every game.

“It’s about what happens next, whether they can recruit a couple of more experienced girls to help steer them in the right direction and keep producing talent like Jas Nevins, who’s just an exceptional talent.’’

Meanwhile Box Hill’s 16-year-old offie Isabel White collected 3-26 off 10 overs against Carlton on Sunday to stay at the top of the Premier wicket list.

She has 20 wickets at 15.2.

And just to prove her all-round ability she scored a tournament-high 141 not out for Box Hill in the Under 18 series.