Footage of Australian Mark Cosgrove confusingly headbutting a cricket ball whilst batting for Leicestershire overnight in County Cricket has recevied viral coverage across the Internet today. While cricket enthusiasts try to work out exactly how and why the burly batsman handled the bouncer in that manner, one local cricketer has come forward with his own theory.

Daniel McConville, an ageing middle order batsman for the Watsonia Wombats, grew up playing junior cricket with Cosgrove in South Australia, and claims that the former international cricketer was a huge fan of the 1996 film Happy Gilmore. Based on that sketchy evidence, McConville is claiming that Cosgrove was attempting to recreate the iconic scene where Gilmore enters a baseball batting cage and wears multiple baseballs on the head and chest in a vain attempt to toughen up for next year’s ice hockey tryouts.

Speaking exclusively to The Watsonia Bugle, McConville said, “Oh yeah, Cossie bloody loved that movie mate. Was always saying quotes from it, and that. As soon as I saw him headbutt that bouncer I thought to meself, ‘Yeah, yep, he’s done a Gilmore there’, haha. What a classic. Cossie’s a good fella, let me tell ya.”

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