Huckett hits heights

CAMERON Huckett bowled his boots off to capture four wickets, but Prahran relinquished the high ground in the final session of day one of its Round 16 Premier Cricket match against Camberwell Magpies.

Huckett had a coat of class about him as he took 4/54 off 23 overs, 10 of them maidens.  It lifted his tally of scalps this season to 43.  Skipper Bryce McGain rounded up the tail, finishing with 3/32 off 17.5 overs, as the Magpies were dismissed for 185.  But by stumps the home side had some problems.

Craig Gunawardana (0), Steve de Bolfo (0) and out-of-favour state man David Hussey (27) fell as Prahran went to the close at 3/59.  It was disappointing when Hussey was caught at mid-on trying to take down the spinner.

The Victorian selectors' decision to drop him from the Pura Cup team remains such a mystery that Prahran people have been looking up a number for Sherlock Holmes.  Sure, he hadn't exactly been churning out the runs.  But tons for Australia A and Prahran showed he was still on good terms with the middle of his bat.  And he had built up some credits with his 2003/04 run feast.

There's nothing wrong with the boy's attitude, either.  Last Wednesday morning he was doing 100m sprints by himself at Toorak Park for an hour. 

Back to Huckett.  "He went through a bit of a slump there, just before and after Christmas,'' McGain said.  "He was a bit flat.  But now he's back on top of things."  "He bowled with zip and in great areas."  "The ball was leaping off the wicket, really carrying through."  "He's not your stock-standard swing bowler - he hits the pitch really hard.''