In an astonishing turn of events in the Gold Coast’s Premier League Division 3, Mudgeeraba captain Gareth Morgan emerged as the hero by taking six wickets in the final over to secure a miraculous win for his team.
Faced with almost certain defeat, Morgan made the bold decision to bowl the last six deliveries himself with Surfers Paradise needing just five runs to win and still having six wickets in hand. What transpired in that final over left spectators and players alike in awe.
The Mudgeeraba captain began by dismissing Surfers Paradise opener Jake Garland, who had been anchoring the innings with a solid 65 runs. What followed was an unprecedented collapse, as Morgan proceeded to remove the next five batters, all of whom were sent back to the pavilion without scoring a single run—five golden ducks in a row.
Reflecting on the surreal moment, Morgan shared, “It is funny, the umpire said to me at the start of the over that I needed to take a hat-trick or something to win the game. When it happened he just sort of looked at me.” Speaking to the Gold Coast Bulletin, Morgan expressed his disbelief, stating, “It was very surreal. I remember thinking after I got the hat trick—I don’t want to lose this game now.”
The unprecedented feat attracted national attention, and Morgan recalled the chaotic atmosphere after taking the wickets, saying, “Then it just went crazy. When I saw the stumps go back on the last ball I couldn’t believe it, I’ve never seen anything like it.”
The first four dismissals were all caught, adding to the spectacle, while the final two were bowled, completing an extraordinary sequence of events. The rare accomplishment not only secured a memorable victory for Mudgeeraba but also etched Gareth Morgan’s name in cricketing history.
Remarkably, the most wickets taken in a single over in professional cricket is five, a record now shared by Morgan with international players such as New Zealand’s Neil Wagner (2011), Bangladesh’s Al-Amin Hossain (2013), and India’s Abhimanyu Mithun (2019). Morgan’s exceptional performance is sure to be remembered as one of the most thrilling moments in club cricket.
