Boneo blitz: Cameron Williams whacks 11 sixes and Samson Storey cracks 119

The tin roof on Boneo’s clubhouse took a pounding and even the beer keg was under attack as two batters launched a brutal display of six hitting in the Mornington Peninsula association.

Cameron Williams hits out for Boneo.

Not often does a batter walk off disappointed after making 93 off 47 balls.

But Boneo’s Cam Williams reckons he squandered a golden opportunity to notch his maiden century in the first XI on Sunday.

“That was my highest score in the ones,” 48-year-old Williams, who has played his entire career at Boneo after starting out as an eight-year-old, said.

“I didn’t know I was on 93 and I was spewing because the one I got caught out on was caught on the boundary and it would have hit the fence on the full because it only got about five or six foot above the ground the whole way. I got it out of the screws but just hit it too flat.”

Boneo (7-271) beat arch rivals Tootgarook (9-75) to continue its march to the MPCA Sub-District finals.

Boneo players.

A bumper crowd of about 200 roared with delight as Williams smacked 11 sixes and young opener Samson Storey (119) put the Toot bowlers to the sword.

One of Williams’ blows crashed onto the tin roof of the Boneo clubhouse, another cleared it and the nearby primary school was peppered, the windows somehow escaping unharmed.

“Watch the keg,” one wag declared as Williams sent another ball towards the clubhouse.

Williams had some good banter with Tootgarook spinner and a long-time friendly rival, Jason Lane.

Lane floated up several tempters when Williams arrived at the crease, and he gleefully accepted the invitation by smashing three sixes to get his innings going.

“I blocked the first one and then I hit the next one for six and he (Lane) has looked at me and gone, ‘what the hell do you call that?’, Williams said.

“I said just, ‘a cross bat slog. What did you think?’.

“Then I blocked one to make him think he was getting on top of me and then I hit another one (six).”

Williams said after the game Lane pulled up two chairs with a couple beers and they had a good chat and a laugh.

Back to the game…

When Williams joined opener Storey after the second wicket had fallen, the pair got stuck into some serious batting, blazing a stand of 144.

Storey was on 48 when Williams arrived at the crease but nearly got overtaken — he was on 95 when Williams fell for 93.

But the young Englishman went on to score his first century in Australia, run out off the last ball of the innings for 119 off 119 balls (10 fours, 6 sixes).

Storey’s family back home in the UK watched his superb innings on YouTube.

“They even get out of bed at 2am in the morning to watch it,” Williams said.

“His dad then tells the grandma, who tells the aunty…so basically there’s like 10 households in England watching us.

“I’m like, ‘you can wait until 8 in the morning, guys. What are you doing?’ They’re keen as mustard.”

Storey’s dad, Tosh, visited Boneo in December to see him play and the family are set to return to watch Boneo in the finals.

The Pandas — currently in second spot — will be chasing their first premiership since 1980.

Boneo opening bowler Sean Spencer continued the eye-popping performances by taking three wickets in his first four balls as Tootgarook made a disastrous 3-1 start to the run chase. Spencer finished with 7-25 off 8 overs.

Tootgarook’s Corey De bruyn didn’t bat. He was in hospital after injuring his ribs while fielding.

Williams has taken 660 senior wickets at Boneo — most of them in the ones — and is chasing down his dad, Neil’s record of 729 wickets. Neil is the second highest wicket taker at Boneo behind Dick Parker (1065).

Williams has also made 6500 runs and was last week named in Leader’s Top 60 cricketers this century.