ANOTHER weekend of Victoria Premier Cricket Premier Men’s Firsts has wrapped, with plenty of impressive performances around the competition. In this series, we put the spotlight on one individual performance that may have caught the eye of teammates, opponents and fans alike. With plenty to choose from each week, it is worth mentioning that there will be some unlucky players that miss out on a weekly basis.

In Round 12, that honour belongs to Greenvale Kangaroos batsman Thomas Cullen, who had a terrific run of 109 (not out) from just 134 deliveries. He was a crucial contributor in his side’s win over the Magpies on Saturday, and formed a terrific partnership with teammate Scott Dixon, as the duo guided their side to a big win in the context of their season. The Kangaroos produced one of their biggest totals of the season in the victory, and Cullen was a massive part of this.

This week’s Player of the Week honour goes to dynamic Richmond bowler Dominic Matarazzo, who produced yet another damaging performance. However, Round 12 saw his best figures of the year, producing a masterclass with ball in hand to finish with figures of 4/19 from his eight-and-a-half over spell, terrorising the Frankston Peninsula batting order, capped off by a stunning hat-trick.

After taking a nice catch a few deliveries before, Matarazzo’s first wicket came when he dismissed middle-order batsman Jai Elcock, drawing a mis-hit with the ball caught in the field. This was backed up the very next ball when he bowled Vinu Mohotty for a golden duck with a pearler of a delivery, putting him on a hat-trick.

With fans around the ground on the edge of their seats, Matarazzo came storming in on his hat-trick ball as the Frankston Peninsula batting order began to truly collapse. Once again, his delivery had perfect line and length as his ball once again drew a poor hit from Tej Ghandi, and suddenly the hat-trick was complete, with Matarazzo’s authority well-and-truly stamped on this contest. To top his day off, he claimed the final wicket of the day to deliver his side a massive win and leave AH Butler Oval victorious.