ADRIAN NEILL looked back on his history-making bowling feat and expressed his hope it will be the springboard to a Scotland call-up.
The young Aberdeenshire seamer - who stands just two inches short of 7ft - became the first player in National League history to claim all 10 wickets in an innings as Watsonians were routed on their own turf. Now he has set his sights on persuading Scots chiefs to give him a chance to prove his worth on the bigger stage.
Neill said: "It was a once-in-a-lifetime occasion - everything just felt right as the ball came out of my hand. After 13 straight overs I had eight to my name and my worry was that someone else would take over and take the last two.
"My final over came and I picked up No.9 first ball. Then the big moment came with the last delivery and thankfully the batsman missed it and the finger went up for lbw."
Neill added: "Breaking into the Scotland set-up is definitely a goal. I have been asked a couple of times to play for the Highlanders in the Pro Series, but it was too hard to get away from my bar job at short notice."
Champions Shire shook off a dose of early batting jitters themlseves to cruise to glory by seven wickets. Skipper Tyler Buchan stated: "It was an absolutely astonishing performance by Adrian. He was swinging the ball late and the Sonians batters just couldn't find an answer.
"Once he had six wickets to his name, there was no chance of me prising the ball off him He is not yet the finished article, but if he does get involved in the Scottish scene, the coaches will work on his strength and consistency. He could be a real asset to Scotland - his physical attributes are hard to find."
The victims were also quick to heap praise on Neill. Batsman James Easton admitted: "It was a magnificent spell. Conditions were perfect for his style and he used them to perfection.
"When a team are bowled out for 89, you assume they were poor on the day, but in the circumstances we actually did pretty well to get that many! "I have to contend, however, that the highlight of the match was when Adrian was an hat-trick and Fraser Sands whacked the next one for six." Neill gave away only 31 runs, with Aberdeenshire sealing a seven-wicket win to stay unbeaten. Elsewhere, previous title holders Arbroath broke their duck with success in another low-scoring tussle at Falkland.
Half centuries from Matty Parker and skipper Craig Wallace, along with five scalps for Umair Mohammed, paved the way for Forfarshire's victory over Stoneywood-Dyce at Forthill. And it was one-way traffic in the capital derby at Raeburn Place, where Grange outpowered RH Corstorphine.
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