Alfonso Thomas made Somerset cricketing history at the County Ground in Taunton today (Tuesday) on day three of the LV= County Championship match against Sussex.
Thomas took four wickets in four balls, the first Somerset player ever to have achieved this feat as Sussex went from 33 for 0 to 33 for 5 in the space of 10 balls. Not only is Thomas the first Somerset player to achieve this feat it is also the first time that it has happened at the County Ground in Taunton.
37 year old Thomas bowled James Anyon off an inside edge with the fourth ball of the 17th over of the innings- the fifth of the day, he trapped Rory Hamilton-Brown leg before wicket with the fifth and with the last ball of the over had Ed Joyce caught by wicket-keeper Craig Kieswetter. Pete Trego bowled the next over from the opposite end and had Chris Nash caught by James Hildreth at first slip. Thomas wasn’t done and with the first ball of his next over he yorked Matt Machan to make it four in four!
When Thomas finally took his jumper, Sussex had moved onto 41 for five with the paceman having figures of four for 11 from his six overs of the morning.
Thomas was obviously delighted by what occurred this morning: “Today has got to be right up there for me. I have had a lot of nerve wracking moments with Somerset, been involved with bowl outs so it was just nice to take four wickets and I was very happy to do that.
“This is my first, first class hat-trick, my first as a professional cricketer and to then take four and be one of only a few to have done it is good.
Talking about Pete Trego who bowled at the other end Alfonso said: “You have to bowl in partnerships and he did a fantastic job at the other end and we were just happy to take 5 in 10 balls which cracked the game wide open for us.”
“I have never seen anything like that all the time that I have played and I am just really happy with the performance and a to take four in four was a fantastic special day for me.”
Somerset have been on the receiving end of four wickets in four balls on four occasions, the last time being 1907 at Lord’s when Albert Trott performed the feat for Middlesex.