How local cricketer Glen Parker claimed five wickets in five balls

A Victorian local cricketer has written himself into history books with an insane spell of bowling, claiming a rare triple hat-trick with five wickets in five consecutive balls. Watch each wicket fall here.

Glen Parker had a small goal at the start of his fourth over on Saturday.

Bowling to Hoppers Crossing batter Haseeb Qureshi, who had just hit him for 10 off his previous over, Parker wanted to wrestle back the momentum of the game.

The Brighton star aimed to “steady the ship and get some dot balls on him”.

But he did much more than that.

Parker claimed five wickets with his next five deliveries to etch himself into the Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association record books.

Eight Subbies bowlers have taken four wickets in four balls but Parker’s five in five stands alone in the competition’s rich history.

Glen Parker. Picture: Valeriu Campan

Parker’s triple hat-trick follows a hat-trick against Port Melbourne last summer.

He said the experience of snaring a hat-trick last season made him “a bit more relaxed” ahead of his third ball.

“Pete (captain-coach Pete Cassidy) said the same thing against Port Melbourne, ‘you know your best ball, try sneak one through the gate’,” Parker said.

“He said the same advice this time around and fortunately I landed it exactly where I wanted to, snuck it through the gate and managed to bowl him.

“Last year was my first one where this year it was more a bit of fun, if you’re fortunate enough to get it then happy days, if not, you never really expect it to happen.

“I think I was a bit more relaxed this time around.”

Parker had a plan for each new batter. Picture: Valeriu Campan

Unlike his spell last year, Parker’s first three wickets came in separate ways.

The first ball was caught at mid-off, the second was dragged onto the stumps and the third forced its way between bat and pad.

Parker said he had a similar plan to each new batter and executed it.

Confidence followed the third wicket, excitement followed the fourth and disbelief set in after the fifth.

“It’s the same plan as always for me to a new batter, I know where I want to land it,” he said.

“I just thought if I landed it there I was a chance to get through him … you don’t think it’s going to happen but when it did, it was pretty cool.

“I think it’s one of those things you don’t see very often so the boys were pretty excited.

“Our attention quickly turned to: ‘Gee, is it possible to get a fifth?’

“The fourth one (celebration) was chaos and excitement and then the fifth one turned into a bit of disbelief, we had some guys in shock and others going crazy.

“We didn’t know what to do after the fifth, to be honest, it was a pretty special but strange feeling.”

Glen Parker (R) holds the ball up after his triple hat-trick alongside Brighton captain-coach Pete Cassidy.

Hoppers Crossing started the 19th over 3-63 and finished it 8-64.

It was an over achievement for Parker, who just wanted to bowl a tidy over.

“I was just trying to steady the ship and get some dot balls on him (Qureshi), so to get him first ball was an absolute bonus,” he said.

“We brought the field back up and put the pressure on.

“Going into the over the plan was to minimise the damage and steady the ship but things managed to go our way.”

Parker was inundated with messages on Sunday but disbelief kicked back in when told his spell stood alone in Subbies history.

“I got a message yesterday from the ex-Malvern president who is doing a lot of Subbies history at the moment and he alerted me to the fact that it was the first time it had happened,” he said.

“I was surprised, I thought it would have happened before, I hadn’t thought about that — again it was a bit of disbelief.

“It’s been nice to reflect on it but it is a bit of a strange feeling.”

Parker grabbed the final two wickets of the innings in his next over to finish with 7-13 off 4.5 overs.

Hoppers Crossing finished with a measly 66, which Brighton chased down in 11.5 overs.