LESS than a week ago, the Western Advocate reported on Ben Mitchell smashing an incredible 221 for St Pat’s Old Boys Blue, setting what is believed to be a President’s Cup record in the process.
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It would be an amazing achievement for anyone, let alone a 14-year-old.
The Advocate said it was a record that, given the grade’s age restrictions and requirements, might never be broken – but Mitchell had a go on Saturday, clobbering a second straight double-hundred and falling not far from his previous mark.
This time he saved the punishment for someone other than his clubmates, having made his 221 against St Pat’s Old Boys Gold.
On Saturday he destroyed Bathurst City at Police Paddock, smacking 204 in just 43 overs before finally being caught at mid-off, clearly affected by tiredness – and understandably so.
Scoring double-tons in consecutive innings puts Mitchell in the most rarified air imaginable.
Very few have been able to do it in the history of Test cricket.
Those who have the feat to their name include Sir Donald Bradman, Wally Hammond, Kumar Sangakkara, Graeme Smith and Michael Clarke.
For a player of Mitchell’s age to do it twice in the space of a week at senior level is the sign of a player who is on another level to his peers – at least for the time being.
“It was a bit of a different innings from the last one. I kind of started having a crack from the start of the innings and didn’t block as much as I did the first time,” he said.
“I got this one a lot quicker than the one last weekend, but I think if I had to pick I’d say maybe I batted better during the 221. It took a bit more concentration and I spent longer at the crease.
“I didn’t think about the idea of trying to get another double at first, but once I got to 100 I was starting to tell myself to try to do it again.”
As with his first gargantuan knock, Mitchell had help from the rest of his team. In this case it was Ben Roffe, also just 14 and on 60 not out.
Their stand was worth 286 runs, and while no official data can confirm it because the MyCricket scoring recording system has only been in place for the past four or five years, it is believed to be a record for the grade.
Having dismissed City for 90, Pat’s have secured first innings points and a big lead.
Perhaps the only Pat’s person not so happy about the Mitchell pyrotechnics was Jason Cooke, whose bonnet copped the full brunt of the assault when a massive lofted straight drive landed right on it.
“Yeah, I accidentally put a bit of a dent in his bonnet. I hit it pretty cleanly,” the young batting star said.
“As I started to get a bit tired I was just trying to hit sixes.
“I’m not sure how many I finished with, but it would have been eight or 10 or something like that.
“Now that I’ve got two [double-hundreds] I’ll definitely be trying to make it three next time I bat.”