Flinders opener Kane Hawkins smashes 11 sixes
A Flinders batsman has gone on a six-hitting spree in a practice match, and you won’t believe how many balls he faced in making 82.
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It may have only been a practice match, but the dazzling batting display put on by Flinders opener Kane Hawkins against Crib Point on Saturday had the MPCA abuzz.
The 20-year-old landscape gardener smashed 82 off 21 balls to blow the cobwebs away ahead of Round 1 this Saturday.
He crunched 11 sixes (that’s one every second ball), including putting his first two balls over the fence as the Sharks made 177 in reply to Crib’s 132.
News of Hawkins’ batting pyrotechnics quickly spread and soon a decent crowd had gathered.
Crib Point champ Glenn Barclay, who played in the game, said one six was the biggest he’s seen at the Crib Point number two ground.
“Spencer (Wilton) bowled him a bouncer and he hit one down through the goals and (Flinders coach) Matt Gale, who was walking laps, caught it on the other side of the fence,’’ he said.
“I’ve never seen one go down there.’’
Hawkins joined Flinders last season from Mt Martha and has flourished, earning a reputation as a fearless and destructive batsman (and excellent bowler).
Several clubs have tried to lure him in recent weeks but he’s declined and is happy at the Sharks, according to Flinders president Dwayne Field.
“It’s pretty good for a kid who only two years ago was playing seconds at Mt Martha,’’ he said.
“We chased him for a couple of years because he has mates at the club but we didn’t think he was this good.
“He smashes it.’’
Field said left-handed Hawkins was “really unorthodox and hits the ball to funny parts of the ground’’.
“He’s got a great eye,’’ he said.
“He hits straight, and doesn’t even follow through, he like punches the ball, he just sort of bunts it and they go. He was hitting sixes that were a couple of metres off the ground.
“Matty Gale, he’s played with all those guys in the Big Bash, and he’s mates with Chris Lyn and that and he goes, ‘he’s sort of up there with the way they hit the ball’.’’
With a season of one-dayers ahead, Hawkins will have opposition bowlers a little nervous.
Flinders hosts Moorooduc in the season opener on Saturday.
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