Australian Club Cricketer Paul Compton takes 1000th wicket in his remarkable 40-year long career

Cheetham Cricket Club Ground. (Photo Source: geograph.org.uk)

In a remarkable achievement earlier this month, Paul Compton, a seasoned player for De La Salle Kingsgrove Cricket Club, notched up his 1000th wicket for the Sydney-based team. The 60-year-old, who began his senior cricket journey with DLSKCC in 1983, reached this milestone during his 40th season with the club. His historic moment came in the last over of the weekend’s match against Coogee Bay at Peakhurst Park. Compton claimed his 1000th wicket with a top-edged pull shot from Finn O’Neill, skillfully caught at short mid-wicket by his teammate Achilleas Spanos.

With seven premierships to his name, Paul Compton secured life membership at DLSKCC back in 2011. His career peak was marked by remarkable figures of 8-30 against Allwah Hunters in 1987, and he notched his maiden hat-trick in January of the previous year against Illawarra Catholic Club. Interestingly, Compton revealed that his hat trick brought him more excitement than reaching the 1000-wicket milestone.

“The excitement of me getting the hat-trick was bigger than the 1000th wicket. I reckon I’d had about 80 attempts, I swear. There have been so many. It was just so good to get that monkey off my back,” Compton told Fox Cricket.

That last hundred was the hardest, I just wanted to get it done: Paul Compton

Among his remarkable tally of 1000 wickets for the club, 422 resulted from clean bowled dismissals, 458 were claimed through catches, 113 via LBWs, two courtesy of stumpings, and one from a hit wicket. Compton revealed that the last 100 wickets proved to be a formidable challenge, leading to moments of frustration in his pursuit of this significant milestone.

“Finally … that last hundred was the hardest. I just wanted to get it done … I started to get frustrated, and my bowling goes to s*** when I get frustrated,” Compton concluded.