Ireland all-rounder Curtis Campher made history in the Inter-Provincial T20 Trophy on Thursday (July 10).
Curtis Campher takes five wickets in five balls
Munster Reds and North-West Warriors faced off in the penultimate match of the season at the Pembroke Cricket Club in Dublin. Munster skipper Campher won the toss, and chose to bat first.
Match 23, North West Warriors vs Munster Reds
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After a 53-run opening stand, Swapnil Modgill and Stephen Doheny departed in quick succession, bringing Campher to the crease alongside Peter Moor at 57-2. The pair put on 68, as Munster eventually made their way to 188-7. Campher top-scored with 44 off 24 balls.
In reply, the Warriors were 29-4 inside the Powerplay, their chase looking unlikely even by that point. They were 87-5 in the 12th over, when Campher struck with his medium pace to bowl Jared Wilson. With the next ball, the last of the over, he trapped Graham Hume lbw.
Returning in the 14th over, Campher had his opposite number, Andy McBrine, caught on the boundary for 29 to complete a hat-trick. That became four in four as Robbie Millar then poked at one, nicking through to the keeper. On the verge of history, Campher then came round the wicket to knock over No.11 Josh Wilson, becoming the first player ever to take five wickets in five balls in men's professional cricket.
The last five Warriors batters were all dismissed for ducks, as Campher finished with 5-16, and Munster with a 100-run win. Campher also became the sixth captain in men's T20 cricket to score over 40 and take five wickets in the same match.
Has anyone ever taken five wickets in five balls before?
There are seven recorded instances of players taking five wickets in five balls, but none of them in professional matches. One player – GH Sirett – took six wickets in six balls for Rowland United against the Royal Warwickshire Regimental Association in the 1951 Thomas Hunter Cup.
The Wisden Cricketers' Almanack for 2025 makes note of two instances of players taking nine wickets in nine balls, both in school cricket, in 1930-31 and 1967-68. There are five further recorded instances of eight wickets in eight balls – again, none in professional cricket.
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