Eastern Suburbs batsman Trent Park finished just one run short of an amazing double century remaining unbeaten on 199 at the end of his side's 80 overs against Thornton Park at Thornton.
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It was back-to-back centuries for Park, following his 146 against City United, and he was supported by the rest of the batting line up as Easts finished on 5/420.
Park's innings included 21 fours and nine sixes and takes his tally for the first half of the season to 380 at an average of 76.
Needing nine runs from the last over of the day to reach his double century, Park hit straight and long to strike the sight-board for a six off the third ball and scored two off the second last ball.
The last ball rolled through to the keeper, Park claiming he hit it, the umpire said he didn't, but it didn't matter as Lachlan Wishart was run out before he could make his ground and add the extra run.
Easts skipper Jack Bennett said it would have been great for Park to score the extra run, but it in no way detracted from what was one of the most amazing innings he had seen.
"He batting outstandingly, it was some of the best hitting that I think I have ever seen in a game of cricket. He just absolutely blitzed it.
"What makes Trent's innings even more amazing is that he came in at the 36th over as well. So he only batted 44 overs for 199. He was a class above everyone else years.
"It was amazing, he was just dominant, a class above, you could use so many more superlatives to describe it and still fall short."
On a ground and against an attack which so often restricts scoring into the arc between mid-on and mid-off, Park just took on the Thornton attack.
"He ended up doing a lot of his scoring in that arc but he was hitting it so hard he was picking off fours down the ground and hitting it over the fence," Bennett said.
"By the end he had a wagon-wheel to all areas. There was some classy shots in there but then just some powerful, powerful hits. Thornton had no answers to him, probably no one would have. Whatever they tried he had an answer to it."
Openers Josh Hicks and Will Stoneman got Easts off to a strong start.
Hicks made 78, at better than a run a ball, in the opening stand of 117.
He was caught off the bowling of Daniel Willis and Elliott Thompson dismissed Englishman Toby Godfray for five to leave the game seemingly balanced at 2/130, but unfortunately for Thornton it only brought Park to the crease in a mood to score big and quick.
Stoneman was next man out on 89 with the scored on 240, falling just 11-runs short of his debut century.
Park just raised the tempo sharing in a 65-run partnership with Bennett (20) and a 115-run partnership with Wishart 22 at the death.
"It's back-to-back centuries and big ones. I was out there when he got his 100 and he went up one or two gears from there. and then just kept blasting them everywhere," Bennett said.
Bennett.said Park's recent rich vein of form had lifted him the into company of City's Josh Trappel and West's Aaron Mahony as one of the competition's best batsman.
"He is a special player, just the way he can take the game on. His swing speed and the way he hits the ball, it's so crisp and clean, he said.
"He has really been working hard and knows what he wants to do. He has been able to execute that really well to date and hopefully that continues for the whole year for him and the team.
"He is scoring all around the ground, anything they tried yesterday he had an answer for.