A 12-year-old cricketing prodigy has beaten odds of ONE MILLION TO ONE – by taking TWO hat-tricks in just two overs.
Schoolboy Owen Price put the opposition in a spin when he took the six wickets in just 10 balls during a devastating bowling spell for his local club.
The talented off-spinner – who already represents his county at cricket – stunned his teammates and sent records tumbling by managing to bag two hat-tricks.
Owen’s final figures were six wickets for six runs in just three overs.
Incredibly, the sporty youngster yesterday (thurs) revealed that he is actually a wicket-keeper batsman — and never normally bowls.
Modest Owen said: ”I couldn’t believe it when I took the second hat-trick – it still really has not sunk in yet.
”I had hurt my finger in a county game a few days before so I asked if I could not be wicket-keeper.
”I was then brought on to bowl and I just kept taking wickets. My coach has said he is going to bowl me every week now!”
Owen, from Chilton Cantelo, near Yeovil, in Somerset, achieved the remarkable feat last Thursday (7/7) evening.
The budding Shane Warne was brought on to bowl for his Westland U12 side in an away league cup semi-final clash against rivals West and Middle Chinnock.
His first over went for three runs, but he began his second over with a dot ball, before bowling three batsmen in a row for his first hat-trick.
After being mobbed by his teammates, he then went onto take another hat-trick – where all the wickets were caught – during the third to the fifth balls of next and final over.
His devastating burst saw the opposition reach just 136 at the end of their allotted 16 overs.
All youngsters playing junior cricket use the Barrington Rules, where each team starts at 200 and loses eight runs for every wicket taken.
Owen then scored 30 not out as his team racked up 256 in their overs to put them through to the area final.
They then scooped the trophy after a convincing win in the final – with Owen taking a wicket and making 21 not out.
The promising all-rounder, who is part of Somerset’s youth team set up, is also having football trials for Yeovil Town FC and plays off a golfing handicap of just 23.
But cricket – which he plays up to six times a week – is his first love and he hopes to one day represent England like his idols.
One of Owen’s cricketing heroes is Somerset CC star Arul Suppiah – who broke the world Twenty20 record with figures of six wickets for five runs in 3.4 overs earlier this month.
He said: ”I look up to the likes of Arul Suppiah and Max Waller who play for Somerset and I really like England spinner Graeme Swann.
”I hope to be as good as them one day.”
Proud dad John, 44, head teacher at the independent Chilton Cantelo School, in Somerset, where Owen is a pupil, said: ”We are trying to keep his feet on the ground.
”We actually missed the double hat-trick as it was the last day at school here, but his granddad was there to see it.
”He phoned me up to say he had taken one hat-trick, then called back and told us to put the champagne on ice – because he had taken a second.
”We are extremely proud of him.
”Owen has a tremendous talent and a great work ethic but will have to keep it going if he wants to reach the top.”
William Hill calculated Owen’s feat to be one million to one.
Rupert Adams, a spokesman for the company said: ”We usually calculate the odds of one hat-trick during a cricket match to be around 1,000-1.
”So for two hat-tricks, you times 1,000 by 1,000 to get exactly one million to one.”