Club groundsman, who hit 23 sixes en route to a double hundred in a village 20-over game, describes “obscene” innings.
Hitting a double-hundred in 20 overs is an extreme rarity, so much so that no one in a match with official T20 status has managed it. Earlier this week, on a glorious evening at the idyllic Dumbleton CC in Evesham, 24-year-old Ewan Gegg played the innings of his life.
Opening that batting, he smashed a 54-ball double hundred to book his team a home quarter-final in the Cheltenham Premier T20 competition, finishing unbeaten on 206 off 55 balls – a strike rate of 374.55.
“I was just trying to hit everything for six,” Gegg tells Wisden.com. “I got to 50 and I wasn’t really thinking too much, it was only when I got to 100 I thought there might be a bit of a chance [to get a double] if things go my way. Towards the start of the innings, there are certain bowlers who favour me, if they’re spinning the ball into me I’ll always try and target that.
“My favourite six was the one to get the double, not the biggest but the most important. I stepped across and shovelled it cow corner – a typical slugger shot. Then it was just relief of getting there.”
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With Gegg’s double, as well as 122 from 37 balls from No.3 Dan Holland, and 64 off 25 from Gegg’s opening partner Thomas Kelly, Dumbleton amassed 417-2 in their 20 overs.
“It’s a wild scorecard,” says Gegg. “We haven’t got above 200 in that competition this year, so to get 417 is absolutely obscene. We played on a similar wicket a couple of weeks ago and got 180-odd, so it was just an absolute freak evening. But an amazing thing to have happened.”
After slamming 23 sixes, Ewan Gegg picks up first-ball wicket
Having been wallopped around the field, opposition team Hatherley and Reddings CC came out fighting. Opener Harry Bloomfield whacked 109 off 48 balls, but a repeat of Gegg’s and Dumbleton’s obscenity was unlikely. After they collapsed to 225-9 in the 18th over, Gegg – who hadn’t bowled an over in the match to that point – came on to close out the game.
As was clearly written in whatever script was being applied, his first ball dismissed No.10 batter Jacob Bennett, ending the game.
“I don’t think I’ll ever have a game like that again,” says Gegg. “Luckily I had the next day off so I was able to have a few drinks in the evening with some mates.”
Gegg, who only joined the club this year, also had a connection to the opposition team he pummelled for 36 boundaries. He works as Hatherley and Reddings CC’s groundsman.
“I prep pitches for the weekend games, as well as the midweek games for the youth section, or midweek cups or whatever,” says Geddings. “I make sure all the pitches are ready to go, with watering and marking them up.”
Having already qualified for the quarter-finals, Dumbleton will now play that game at home following their win over Hatherley and Reddings. The club has a rich history, founded in 1885 and having developed several professional players – including England’s Dani Gibson.
For Gegg however, the innings remains the highlight of his club cricket career to-date, and a feat likely never to be repeated. “It didn’t really settle in until later that night, when I actually realised what had happened,” says Gegg. “I don’t remember having conversations with teammates when I was batting, It was purely just numb… I don’t think I’ll ever get to do that again.”
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