Congratulations to chatterbox Callum Appleby, our First Grade import from Durham, England, who demolished Phoenix’s batting lineup by taking five wickets on Saturday!
The second five wicket haul for our top side following Logan Wake’s 6-fer earlier in the season, it is a fantastic achievement that will see Callum’s name be immortalised on the honour board inside our change rooms.
To make the list, a player needs to take five or more wickets, or score a century in the First Grade and only at John Connell Reserve.
It is the first update to the board this year, and Callum joins the likes of Mark Atkinson, Wayne Fontana, Sean Wright, Anand Mavani, and Jason Cunningham to name but a few.
At just 21 years of age, Callum’s searing pace took over last Saturday, and he finished with match figures of 5/29 from 7.2 overs as Phoenix were dismissed for 106 from 29.2 overs.
Having welcomed 2017 by jumping out of a plane from 20,000 feet in Jurien Bay, it can be said it was the spark he needed to put together his best personal performance of his time Down Under.
Callum is both a consistent performer and as he proved on Saturday, a match winner, and he never seems to drop in quality despite the rising temperatures.
It was a vital and match winning contribution from Appleby, and allowed the Firsts to record a strong win their first game back, having lost their last two matches to end the year.
Callum’s Performance By The Numbers:
| Overs | Maidens | Wickets | Runs |
| 7.2 | 1 | 5 | 29 |
The likes of PK and Milts then did the work with the bat, putting on a fantastic 99 run opening stand to ensure there were no worries chasing down the small total.
Both batsmen recorded sixties, before falling one short of a century stand. Interestingly, the two now have a 99 run partnership to go with their grade record 199 run opening stand.
A great performance from the Pom at the home of cricket, and we congratulate him immensely and wish him all the best for the remainder of the season!
Click the image above to view the full scorecard.