Village cricket team collapses to 39 all out, including ten ducks

A cricket club collapsed in spectacular fashion with a record-breaking ten ducks and only 39 runs scored.

It is known as every batsman’s worst nightmare, to be given out for a duck; failing to register a single run.

The only thing worst is to see the umpire finger raised for a golden duck.

This however was not the exact case for a Cambridgeshire club, but freakishly close to it.

Royston Cricket Club, established in 1790, play in the Junior Four South of the Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire Cricket League had all but one player return to the dressing room in quick succession.

Opening batsman and skipper Michael Miller of the third eleven was the only player not to lose his wicket while his fellow teammates were out for a duck.

Moreover it was only Miller who managed to score runs any runs contributing 33 before running out of partners.

Their dismal total was helped along with six extras to 39 as they were all out against their Essex opposition Newport 2nds.

The only ray of sunshine they could draw from the experience was the fact they all survived a golden duck delivery.

Newport knocked off the required amount without the loss of a single wicket.

However this result is not the worst in history, in 2014 Wirral Cricket club hit just three runs with two of those coming from extras.

In first-class cricket, the most ducks recorded in a Test innings is six, similar to those in ODI innings.

A total of six ducks have been recorded five times with Pakistan responsible for three of those in ODI matches in 1987, 1993 and 2012 with their lowest total of 43 against the West Indies in 1993 at Newlands.

Only South Africa vs Australia (2002) and Zimbabwe vs Sri Lanka (2008) make up the other two teams with the most dismissals in an innings!

JOTI KAUR