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EAGLEHAWK veteran Matt Fitt has become the new record-holder for the most dismissals by a wicket-keeper in the BDCA.
With his stumping of White Hills’ Caleb Barras off the bowling of leg-spinner Russell Stockdale at the QEO on Saturday, Fitt moved to 401 career dismissals, surpassing Geoff Findlay’s former record of 400.
The historic moment in the 29th over was marked with a short blowing of the QEO siren from the scorers box.
According to BDCA historian Darren Rodda, 37-year-old Fitt’s total of 401 dismissals is a split of 342 catches and 59 stumpings in what has been a 240-game career with the gloves that began as a teenager in 1998-99.
Findlay, who played at both Eaglehawk and Strathdale-Maristians in a 248-game career, had held the BDCA wicket-keeping record since the 1999-2000 season when he took it over from ex-Sandhurst gloveman Ron Slattery, who had previously owned it since the late 1950s.
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“Something like this probably just goes to show that you’ve been playing for a long time,” Fitt said on Saturday night.
“There’s no stats on how many chances you’ve missed, so it probably doesn’t mean you’re any better or worse than anyone else, just that you’ve been playing for a long time.
“I’ve been fortunate to have kept to a lot of good bowlers over the years who have put the ball in the right spot to get the nicks and I guess it’s something I will be able to reflect on down the track when I’m finished playing.”
Fitt – who also has 5358 runs and three premierships to go with his 401 victims from behind the stumps – has claimed at least 20 dismissals in nine of his completed 20 seasons, which includes a high of 33 in 2012-13.
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