Two village cricketers took hat-tricks in the same innings in what could be a world first.

Marden bowlers Anton O'Sullivan and Ben Tomkinson achieved the feat in a Kent County Village League home game against Weald on Saturday.

O'Sullivan, 17, took the first hat-trick of the afternoon and wound up with 4-19.

Tomkinson, 28, claimed 5-0 from the same end and finished on a double hat-trick after adding to his earlier treble with two wickets in two balls at the death.

Their efforts saw Division 3 strugglers Weald bowled out for 51, with Marden completing a six-wicket victory.

It was the second hat-trick of Tomkinson's career and he'll see if he can complete a third when they visit Farningham this Saturday.

He's recently returned to the UK after five years working as a teacher in China and took all his wickets despite carrying an injury.

He said: "I've got tendonitis in my foot and ankle, so my run-up's quite short and I'm not bowling as quick as I could if I had a longer run-up.

"It's going to be on the pavilion honours board so my name will be up there and it will read B. Tomkinson 5-0, which will look quite incredible.

"I've got a hat-trick before and I might get another one soon.

"Getting a hat-trick is a great thing and it was a better hat-trick than my first one.

"It wasn't against fantastic opposition but it's still good and getting the five-for helps as I've got the match ball.

"Anton getting a hat-trick made the day much more incredible because, as everyone's said, they've never heard of two hat-tricks like that in an innings, from the same end as well.

"It's one of the highlights to look back on and talk about. It's caused a bit of a commotion."

O'Sullivan is in his first season of men's cricket and had already gone close to a hat-trick before his big moment at Marden's new home ground at Maidstone Road.

He said: "It looked like there were some cracks around where the batsmen were standing.

"The ball just hit some of those cracks and moved off the seam.

"We were surprised Weald chose to bat after looking at the pitch.

"It was a strange decision but I don't pay much attention to that - I just show up and bowl.

"There'd been a bowled and then a caught behind and it was the second hat-trick ball I'd had in a couple of games, so I wasn't expecting too much, but then the batsman just missed it really.

"Everyone got pretty excited. It was quite a good feeling."