Danielle Jennings takes two wickets in two balls on senior men’s debut with St Leonards Cricket Club

The wife of a BPCA cricketer has enjoyed a stunning debut in his men’s team, after making a mad dash from her hair salon to get to the game.

Danielle Jennings said she initially had no interest in cricket before a friend lured her down to training at St Leonards CC.

St Leonards’ latest senior debutant, Danielle Jennings, might have booked a place in the club’s D Grade team for the rest of the year after being on a hat-trick in her inaugural men’s BPCA match.

An incredible debut considering the Queenscliff hairdresser once had no interest in the game.

However, her selection in the team was all the more special for one other reason: she played alongside her husband Robert.

With the Saints a bit on the short side for the Round 6 fixture against Newcomb – they only had eight players to rely on – Danielle was drafted into the team.

The plan was to bat Robert and Danielle together, but the team needed an opener after winning the toss and she was still at the salon when the game started.

Danielle and Robert Jennings played for St Leonards against Newcomb. Picture: St Leonards Cricket Club.

However, she soon received and SOS from the club, telling her to get to the ground as soon as possible.

“I shut the shop up and got over there as quick as I could,” Danielle said.

“I was feeling a bit nervous about playing with the guys but they were so welcoming and encouraging.”

Making things even easier, Danielle had played with some of the blokes in an indoor cricket team — a sport she’s enjoyed the past two winters.

After St Leonards elected to bat, they were in a bit of trouble at 6-92 when Danielle came to the crease.

Dismissed leg before for one run, St Leonards were eventually bowled out for 97.

But Danielle’s big moment was still to come in Newcomb’s innings.

Coming on to bowl with her mediums in the C Trewin Shield match at Charles McCarthy Memorial Oval, Danielle would take two wickets in as many balls; trapping the opposition’s first drop LBW and then bowled the next batter the following delivery — claiming two of the three wickets to fall in the Bulls’ dig.

“I couldn’t believe it,” she said.

Danielle Jennings with baby Jaxon Barry William in October, 2019.

Believe it or not but Danielle once had zero interest in cricket, before being talked into coming down to training by a friend.

“I was actually never interested in cricket before I started playing,” she said.

“I finally went down and had a training session with them and loved it.

“That was it, I was hooked, this is my fourth season.”

Danielle had been a keen tennis and badminton player until her business and family commitments took over.

However, cricket has become an important social connection and a way of making new friends.

It comes a few weeks after Thomson cricketer Ed Charles played with his partner Jess in the third grade against Marshall earlier this month, while Amber Kelly was also part of the Tigers team.

Originally published as Danielle Jennings takes two wickets in two balls on senior men’s debut with St Leonards Cricket Club