A once-in-a-lifetime cricket-ing feat has helped teenager Tom Roper to win the Lucas Fettes Norfolk League's latest player of the month award.The Winterton bowler returned outstanding figures of 11 wickets for only 84 runs in three July matches, including four wickets in four balls against Shipdham in Division One.

A once-in-a-lifetime cricket-ing feat has helped teenager Tom Roper to win the Lucas Fettes Norfolk League's latest player of the month award.

The Winterton bowler returned outstanding figures of 11 wickets for only 84 runs in three July matches, including four wickets in four balls against Shipdham in Division One.

Tom's 11 wickets came at a very impressive strike rate of approximately a wicket every two overs, and the full statistics for the match against Shipdham were 10.2 overs, two maidens, 26 runs and six wickets.

Tom, 19, son of Winterton CC chairman Geoff Roper, said that he was thrilled to receive the award, adding: “It was totally unexpected as I didn't even know that I had been nominated!”

Tom said that he had hugely benefited from his father's encouragement and years of playing in the back garden developing his skills. “I was really pleased to get the hat-trick against Shipdham, and when I got a fourth with the very next ball I was speechless.”

Presenting the award (pictured right) on behalf of Lucas Fettes & Partners, Matthew Skipper (Group Marketing Controller) said: “Taking four wickets in four balls at any level of the game is an outstanding achievement, but for a young man to have done this in a First Division match to help keep his side's chances of winning the title alive is particularly special. He is a very worthy winner of this award!”