It's a week Will Keighran is never going to forget.
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The 26-year-old and his partner, Kayla O'Toole, were already celebrating a life-changing moment after their first child, Remi, was born on Monday, October 16.
Kayla and Remi were back at home by the time Keighran took the field for St Patrick's away to Corowa in Cricket Albury-Wodonga's provincial competition on Saturday.
The match was streamed live, so Mum and baby were tuned in to see Dad do something incredible.
Keighran dismissed Jarred Lane, bringing Dan Christian to the middle for his much-anticipated Corowa debut which had pulled in a bumper crowd.
But with all eyes on the Big Bash champion, it was Keighran who seized the moment, running in to clean bowl a stunned Christian.
Off he ran, right first clenched, leaping into air before being mobbed by his Patties team-mates.
![Will Keighran celebrates taking the wicket of Dan Christian just days after the birth of his daughter Remi. Will Keighran celebrates taking the wicket of Dan Christian just days after the birth of his daughter Remi.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/131362666/5f23739a-c77f-490b-8ea9-4ef3bf126718.jpg/r0_0_1760_990_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"I just took off," Keighran smiled.
"A few of the Mums were here and Michelle Hensel said 'I don't think I've ever seen you run that fast!'
"I was absolutely ecstatic and to have the boys going crazy around me like that, it was a great feeling.
"That's one of my biggest wickets ever, I don't know if I'll top that.
"You want to bowl to the best batters you can and when he came out to bat, I knew he hadn't played cricket for a few months so I knew he'd have to get his eye in.
"When you're thrown into those situations, you probably do a lot better than thinking about it.
"Having the week off work, I had been thinking about what to do and if you can bowl a good yorker to anyone, as my old man says, you give yourself a chance.
![Dan Christian's first game for Corowa drew a crowd of 500 to Ball Park. Picture by James Wiltshire Dan Christian's first game for Corowa drew a crowd of 500 to Ball Park. Picture by James Wiltshire](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/131362666/e508a30a-9ca7-4a3e-8013-bd3e9cdf0229.JPG/r1009_851_3550_2493_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"If they hit it for six, hats off to the batter, but I was lucky that he missed it."
Keighran finished with 2-13 from his five overs as St Patrick's, having earlier posted 7/221, bowled Corowa out for 138.
"Having all the friends and family over this week, I'm still on a bit of a high," Keighran said.
"What's even better is I get to go home to the girls and really soak it up with them.
"Our baby was born at 5 o'clock on Monday so I've been going to the hospital, back and forth until Thursday when they got discharged and trying to get back into the routine now the two girls are at home.
"I had my partner watching the game on TV, which made it even more special, and that's something Remi can look back on and see her Dad did that!"
Keighran has predominantly played B-grade cricket in recent seasons so it was the sort of magical moment few would have predicted.
![Will Keighran has been ever-present in the St Patrick's A-grade side so far this season. Picture by Mark Jesser Will Keighran has been ever-present in the St Patrick's A-grade side so far this season. Picture by Mark Jesser](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/131362666/56f416d6-81e8-4040-9087-14faa9d2c77e.jpg/r0_0_2714_1803_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"I'm so happy to be back," he said.
"I've played the last two or three years with only a handful of senior games so Dean (Nicholson, captain) has given me a role to do, bowl outside off stump, not so much about getting wickets but try to tie an end up and I'm happy to do that.
"I thought the deck might have been going up and down so I tried to protect that one side, bowl at the stumps and see if one would keep low.
"I was lucky enough to get the two in two balls!
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"You walk back to fine leg at the end of the over and you've got the tingles.
"I've been trying to work a bit harder this year, I only bowled the five overs but that was my job, try to get a wicket or two to change the game, and I'm just so happy I did that for them."
St Patrick's, who reached last season's grand final, have won two of their first three games.
They face Wodonga at Xavier High School on Saturday.
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