A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he was presented with a hat bought with the proceeds.[1] The term was used in print for the first time in 1878.[2]
The term was eventually adopted by many other sports including association football, water polo, and team handball, but did not become popular in North America until the mid 1940s (in the National Hockey League and then baseball (three strikeouts or hits)).
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According to the Extended Oxford English Dictionary 1999 Edition, the term "came into use after HH Stephenson took three wickets in three balls for the all-England eleven against the twenty-two of Hallam at the Hyde Park ground, Sheffield in 1858. A collection was held for Stephenson (as was customary for outstanding feats by professionals) and he was presented with a cap or hat bought with the proceeds."
A hat-trick occurs in association football when a player scores three goals in a single game. In common with other official record-keeping rules, goals in a penalty shootout are excluded from the tally.[3]
Players achieving hat-tricks are usually rewarded by being given the match ball to keep. The fastest time to score a hat-trick is 90 seconds, a record set by Tommy Ross playing for Ross County against Nairn County on November 28 1964.[4] The only hat trick scored in the FIFA World Cup Final was by Geoff Hurst, playing for England in the 1966 final.[5] A "perfect" hat-trick is said to have been scored if the player scores with the left foot, right foot and head.[6]
A hat-trick occurs in cricket when a bowler dismisses three batsmen with consecutive deliveries. The deliveries may be interrupted by an over bowled by another bowler from the other end of the pitch or the other team's innings, but must be three consecutive deliveries by the individual bowler. Only wickets attributed to the bowler count towards a hat-trick; run outs do not count.
Hat-tricks are very rare and as such are treasured by bowlers. In Test cricket history there have been just 39 hat-tricks, the first achieved by Fred Spofforth for Australia against England in 1879. In 1912, Australian Jimmy Matthews achieved the feat twice in one game against South Africa. The only other players to achieve two hat-tricks are Australia's Hugh Trumble, against England in 1902 and 1904, and Pakistan's Wasim Akram, in separate games against Sri Lanka in 1999.India's Harbhajan achieved this feat in Kolkata in 2001.
In One Day International cricket there have been 27 hat-tricks up to 22 August 2011, the first by Jalal-ud-Din for Pakistan against Australia in 1982, and the most recent by Lasith Malinga for Sri Lanka cricket team against Australia on August 22nd, 2011 in the last match of the five-ODI series played in Colombo. With this last hat-trick Lasith Malinga became the first and only bowler to take three hat-tricks in any form of international cricket. Four players have taken at least two One Day International hat-tricks in their careers: Wasim Akram and Saqlain Mushtaq of Pakistan and Chaminda Vaas and Lasith Malinga of Sri Lanka. (Akram therefore has four international hat-tricks in total).
In Twenty20 International Cricket, Brett Lee of Australia had a hat-trick against Bangladesh in the Super Eight of the Twenty20 World Cup on 16 September 2007 in South Africa. Jacob Oram of New Zealand made a hat-trick against Sri Lanka on 2 September 2009 in Colombo, And Tim Southee, also from New Zealand, made a hat-trick against Pakistan, and ended up with a 5-For at the end of the match.[7]
Taking two wickets in two consecutive deliveries is occasionally known as a brace, or (more commonly) being on a hat-trick. This is only a run-up to the hat-trick. If a hat-trick is not achieved, it is not called a brace.
Four wickets in four balls is referred to in cricket literature and record books as four in four but the term double hat-trick has also been used in the media, as it will contain two different, overlapping sets of three consecutively dismissed batsmen. It has occurred only once in international one-day cricket, in the 2007 World Cup, when Sri Lanka's Lasith Malinga managed the feat against South Africa by dismissing Shaun Pollock, Andrew Hall, Jacques Kallis and Makhaya Ntini, though it has occurred on other occasions in first-class cricket. Kevan James of Hampshire took four wickets in four balls and scored a century in the same county game against India in 1996. The Cricinfo report on the game claimed that this was unique in cricket.[8][9]
Chaminda Vaas of Sri Lanka is one of the two bowlers, the other one being Wasim Akram of Pakistan against Bangladesh as well to achieve a hat-trick in the first three balls of any form of international cricket. Chaminda Vass did so in their pool B ODI world cup qualifier against Bangladhesh on 14 February 2003 at City Oval, Pietermaritzburg. He took his fourth wicket with the fifth ball of the same over and missed the double-hat-trick.
Albert Trott and Joginder Rao are the only two bowlers credited with two hat-tricks in the same innings in first class cricket. One of Trott's two hat-tricks, for Middlesex against Somerset at Lords in 1907, was a four in four.
While all hat-tricks are rare and prized, some examples are particularly extraordinary. On 2 December 1988, Merv Hughes, playing for Australia, dismissing Curtly Ambrose with the last ball of his penultimate over and Patrick Patterson with the first ball of his next over, wrapping up the West Indies first innings. When Hughes returned to bowl in the West Indies second innings, he trapped Gordon Greenidge lbw with his first ball, completing a hat-trick over two different innings and becoming the only player in Test cricket history to achieve the three wickets of a hat-trick in three different overs.
In 1844, underarm bowler William Clark, playing for "England" against Kent, achieved a hat-trick spread over two innings, dismissing Kent batsman John Fagge twice within the hat-trick. Fagge batted at number 11 in the first innings and at number 3 in the second. This event is believed to be unique in first-class cricket.[10]
The most involved hat-trick was perhaps when Melbourne club cricketer Stephen Hickman, playing for Power House, achieved a hat-trick spread over three overs, two days, two innings, involved the same batsman twice, and was observed by the same non striker, with the hat-trick ball being bowled from the opposite end to the first two. In the Mercantile Cricket Association C Grade semi final at Fawkner Park South Yarra in Melbourne, Gunbower United Cricket Club were 8 for 109 when Hickman came on to bowl his off spin. He took a wicket with the last ball of his third over and then bowled number 11 batsman Richard Higgins with the first ball of his next over to complete the Gunbower innings, leaving Chris Taylor the not out batsman. Power House scored 361 putting the game out of reach of Gunbower. In the second innings opener Taylor was joined by Higgins at the fall of the fourth wicket as Hickman returned to the attack. With his first ball, observed by an incredulous Taylor at the non-strikers end, he clean bowled Higgins leaving Higgins with a pair of golden ducks.[11]
One of the most unlikely of hat-tricks occurred in 2009. Representing City Eagles in Christchurch, New Zealand, David Crocker (a former wicket-keeper batsman turned surprised bowler) took 3 wickets to secure a hat-trick with the first 3 deliveries he bowled in Suburban Cricket. It is unknown if this has occurred before with the very first deliveries a bowler would bowl in a competition claiming wickets. David also scored 118 against the same team.
At least two triple hat-tricks have been achieved. The first was by Scott Babot of Wainuiomata Cricket Club playing in the Senior 3 competition in New Zealand in 2008. It consisted of five wickets in five balls, across two innings and separated by seven days, as the match took place on consecutive Saturdays.[12] The second was in an Ireland club U13 youth game in 2011, achieved by David Delany of Clontarf Cricket Club playing in an All-Ireland final against Bready Cricket Club. Bready needed 19 runs to win with 6 wickets in hand, when Delany took five wickets in five balls, with all five batsmen being dismissed bowled. Clontarf won the game.[13][14]
In both field hockey and ice hockey, a hat trick occurs when a player scores three goals in a single match. A hat trick, as it is known in its current form, culminates with fans throwing hats onto the ice from the stands. The tradition is said to have begun among fans in the National Hockey League around the 1950s.[15]
There are several conflicting legends of how the "hat trick" was popularized in professional hockey. In the 1940s, a Toronto haberdasher used to give Maple Leaf hockey players free hats when they scored three goals in a game, which brought the "Hat Trick" expression into the world of hockey. The list of winners includes the legendary players such as Stan Mikita and Bobby Hull from the Chicago Black Hawks, Syl Apps and Charlie Conacher from the home-town Toronto Maple Leafs, Norm Ullman from the Detroit Red Wings, and many others.
In another account, the origins of a hat being awarded for scoring three goals occurred in Toronto when a local businessman, Sammy Taft, was approached by the Chicago Black Hawks forward Alex Kaleta. According to legend, Kaleta entered Taft's shop to purchase a new hat but did not have enough money. Taft arranged a deal with Kaleta stipulating that if Kaleta scored three goals as he played the Toronto Maple Leafs that night, he would give him a free hat. That night, on January 26, 1946, Kaleta scored four goals against the Maple Leafs and Taft made good on his offer.[15]
While this account is credited by the Hockey Hall of Fame as the hat trick's origin in the NHL,[15] there exists yet another competing story in Guelph, Ontario. In the 1950s, the Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters of the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA), who were then a farm team of the National Hockey League (NHL)'s New York Rangers, were sponsored by Guelph-based Biltmore Hats, a leading manufacturer of hats with North American dominance. The sponsor would award any Madhatters player who scored three goals in a game with a new fedora.[15]
Henri Henri, a hatter in Montreal, claims at http://henrihenri.ca/en/historique.htm that between 1950 and 1970, they would reward any NHL player to score three or more goals in a game at the Montreal Forum with a hat, thus originating the term "Hat Trick". (PDF of page, taken on December 18, 2011, can be found at http://www.malak.ca/henri.pdf)
A natural hat trick is when a player scores three consecutive goals in the same game, uninterrupted by any other scoring.[16] The NHL record for fastest natural hat trick is 21 seconds, set by Bill Mosienko in 1952 for the Chicago Black Hawks.[17] Wayne Gretzky holds the NHL record for most natural hat tricks in a career by 50.
Occurs when the player scores six goals in a game or see reference above in cricket (section) that describes the term usage alternative method.
A player accomplishes a Gordie Howe hat trick by scoring a goal, getting an assist, and getting in a fight, all in the same game (Howe himself only recorded two in his career). While this description has remained popular, it does not satisfy the conditions of a hat trick.[18]
In December 1995, Florida Panthers captain Scott Mellanby scored a rat trick, a term dubbed by teammate John Vanbiesbrouck after ridding the locker room of an unwanted rat with his stick, and scoring a pair of goals later that night.[19] When Mellanby scored a hat trick in a later game, some fans threw plastic rats on the ice, a tradition that continued for all Panthers' goals throughout the 1996 playoffs. Because of the resulting game delays, the league eventually banned this activity and modified Rule 63 to impose a minor penalty against the home team for a violation.[20]
In both codes of rugby football (rugby union and rugby league) a hat-trick is scored if a player scores three or more tries in a game. In rugby union, a related concept is that of a "full house" (scoring a try, conversion, penalty goal, and drop goal) in a single game. When a player scored two tries, this is often referred to as a "brace".
As with association football, it is common for the player to be awarded the match ball after scoring a hat-trick.
A hat-trick in lacrosse is when a player scores three goals in one game. However, since lacrosse is more of a high-scoring game than hockey or soccer, the accomplishment is not as rare as in hockey or soccer, and good players may pick up hat-tricks easily.
In 2004, Colorado Mammoth public address announcer Steve Meade (a local radio broadcaster known as "Willie B") used the phrase "sock-trick" to describe a player scoring six goals in a game. When Mammoth superstar Gary Gait scored six in a game against the Anaheim Storm, fans threw socks onto the playing surface, earning a delay of game penalty to Colorado (served by Gait himself).[21]
A hat-trick in darts is a score of three consecutive bullseyes, also known as the Alan Evans shot after Alan Evans who scored three bulleyes during a match on numerous occasions.
Eliminating three players from a table with one hand in live poker play is sometimes referred to as a hat-trick and is incredibly rare. It is a much more frequent occurrence in online poker games, given the faster and greater number of hands played in online tournaments and the continuing presence of multiple "all-in" players during the early stages of tournament play as players look to build large chip stacks quickly and early.
A hat trick in motor racing is deemed as three successive race wins, winning the same event three times in a row, or when a driver secures pole position, sets the fastest lap and wins the race.
In Formula One, a 'Grand Chelem' or perfect weekend is pole, fastest lap, win and also leading every lap.
In marbles, a hat-trick occurs when a player hits all marbles in a single turn.
In Scrabble, a hat-trick occurs when a player plays three consecutive bingos.
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