MELBOURNE, Nov 1 AAP - The Victorian wicketkeeper previously known as "Chuck" is now Darren "The Cannibal" Berry.

Lost in the excitement of yesterday's hat-trick for team-mate Shane Harwood was Berry wearing a baseball catcher's mask during the Tasmanian first innings in the Pura Cup cricket match at the MCG.

While Berry and Australian 'keepers Ian Healy and Adam Gilchrist have worn batting helmets at times when standing close to the stumps, it was probably the first time the mask had been used in cricket.

"I'm a big fan of Hannibal Lecter's and I thought I'd try to impersonate him in my 125th," joked Berry, who is setting the Victorian games record in this match.

Dr Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter is sometimes detained in face masks and is the main villain in a trilogy of films, with Red Dragon currently on release.

Berry's more serious motive for the unusual face gear was some added protection when he stood up close behind the stumps to faster bowlers Ian Harvey and Matthew Inness.

The slick glove man's tactic with these quicker bowlers is to try to put the batsman under added pressure with something different, rather than standing a few steps away from the stumps.

Berry has made leg-side stumpings off the Victorian medium pacers, catching the batsman off balance.

He tried using the mask in the off-season and found no opposition from officials when he brought it out for yesterday's play.

Berry hacksawed off the "wings" - the extra protection on the sides of the mask - but otherwise it is a standard piece of baseball equipment.

He has spoken to cricket equipment manufacturer Gray Nicholls about making a special mask for 'keepers, which would have less facial padding than the baseball version.

"It's practical - I can't believe no-one has done it before," he said.

"'Heals' has kept in a helmet and so has 'Gilly', but it's not good in a helmet because of the bit at the back.

"You don't need that for a 'keeper, you only need the face protection - it's realistic."

© 2002 AAP

This report does not necessarily represent the views of the Australian Cricket Board.