Freakish Sporting Feats | Paul McGann

His team, which played two players short, made 74.

McGann, who was 23 at the time, made 73 of them.

The one run that McGann didn’t score in that Koyuga innings was a leg bye.

And yes it came off his batting pad!

Paul had only started playing cricket the previous season and his highest score previously was 40.

His nine teammates’ contribution to Koyuga’s final score in that match was exactly nought.

Just think about that.

Surely one his teammates could have edged just one delivery that beat the fielders?

But no.

Every one of Paul’s Koyuga teammates were clean bowled which added more intrigue to his feat.

It is very difficult to comprehend 10 batsmen in a side couldn’t even muster one run between, but that was the case.

Stanhope’s opening bowlers Damian Sloane and Nick Donnell cleaned up the Koyuga batting list without any assistance.

Donnell took 5/25 and Sloane 3/47.

But by doing that those 10 batsmen added to the ‘Paul McGann Batting Show’ which must rank up high on the worldwide list of extraordinary batting feats and deservedly a place in world cricket folklore.

NEXT UP IN GUS UNDERWOOD’S FREAKISH SPORTING FEATS: Brad Campbell (CRICKET)

Tongala cricketer Brad Campell had a remarkable run with the bat in the 2001-2002 cricket season.

His run making heroics included an unbelievable Melbourne Country Cricket Week carnival when he led the former Kyabram District Cricket Association to an historic win at the top level - Provincial Group - in the annual series.

Competing at Melbourne Country Week in its first carnival since 1922, it was the first and only time the KDCA had won at the top level of Melbourne Country Week.

– Read Gus Underwood’s take on Campbell’s ‘Freakish Sporting Feat’ in next Friday’s News.