This week marks the 35th anniversary of when the Limestone Coast was the toast of the cricketing world.

Having risen from humble beginnings in Penola to the pinnacle of the game in 1979, South East leg-spinner Peter “Sounda” Sleep had to wait eight years to play consecutive Tests for Australia.

He did so during arguably the nation’s lowest point in its proud history, but took his chance with open arms.

An Australian team ravaged by retirements and rebel tours meekly surrendered the urn in an innings defeat at Melbourne inside three days, much to the shock of the nation including then Prime Minister Bob Hawke, who put the squad to shame as he soaked up Pat Cash’s Davis Cup win.

Allan Border’s men had to restore some pride in the final Test in Sydney and after four days of intriguing cricket, the pressure was on defending 320 when the players walked out of the SCG’s famous pavilion for an unforgettable final day.

However, the wickets dried up after England captain Mike Gatting dug in alongside Jack Richards, as the visitors dared to dream of an unlikely draw with four wickets in hand and only 10 overs left while Australia appeared to let yet another opportunity slip after dropping numerous chances.

After standing firm for almost four hours at the crease, the wicket of Richards was the avenue Australia needed and “Sounda” was wide awake and pounced.

He deceived Phil Edmonds with the next ball in flight to be on a hat-trick, but could not dismiss former teammate Gladstone Small.

As the shadows lengthened and the nerves escalated, Australia had only 15 balls to find the winning wicket.

All eyes were on débutante Peter “Who” Taylor after his sensational six-for in the first innings, but Border threw the ball to Penola’s Peter in the penultimate over of the game and he rose to the occasion.

With the hopes of a nation in his hands, Sleep ran in to bowl for the final time in the Test.

It was a full, loopy leg-break, but batter John Emburey went back and was beaten on the outside edge.

The ball thundered into off stump to spark wild scenes as the Australians celebrated a fairytale win with only six balls left.

Three of Sleep’s five wickets were taken in his last five overs and the South Australian said he never lost hope.

“We always knew we had a chance of winning, but Gatting was a fine player of spin and he made a fabulous 96 to pull them back into the game,” he said.

“It seesawed throughout the day and Jack Richards hung around, so I bowled a googly and he inside edged it onto the stumps which kept us interested.

“Eventually Emburey tried to defend and I bowled him (to win the game).

“It was a fantastic game to play in being the first one we won in 15 attempts, so it got us back on the road again.”

Two decades before bowling Australia to a famous win in front of almost 13,000 delirious fans, Sleep was honing his craft with a similar method to Don Bradman.

“When I was three I was trying to hit a golf ball with a brush and it just went from there,” he said.

After the summer game was “ingrained” into him at an early age from his father through countless hours in the backyard, it soon became apparent Sleep was a prodigy at Yahl.

Despite possessing an ability in all facets of the game, Sleep followed in his father’s and uncle’s spin-bowling footsteps and became a tweaker.

After using doorknobs as a tool and watching Terry Jenner closely, he entered the Barber Shield by age 13 before moving to Adelaide to take his game to the next level with Kensington.

Playing district cricket with and against state players at the tender age of 16 “Sounda” made his mark and found himself in the South Australian dressing room alongside greats such as David Hookes as a teenager after being selected by none other than Bradman.

“It was rather daunting for a 19-year-old turning up to your first Shield game when you had never seen the Adelaide Oval before,” Sleep said.

“You did not know the players too well, but after the first game you thought ‘I really want to play a lot more here and compete really hard’.”

In his second game Sleep compiled a 159-run stand with Hookes in a tie against Queensland and after three years in the SACA setup, the all-rounder started to spread his wings.

He enjoyed a breakout summer in 1978/79 accumulating more than 600 runs with the bat and 40 wickets with the ball to be named the Shield player of the year.

In a season where the Australian team was heavily impacted due to the introduction of World Series Cricket, Sleep announced himself at the right time.

Following a 5-1 thrashing by England earlier in the summer, Graham Yallop’s Australians were looking for young talent and turned to Sleep for the upcoming Pakistan series which caught the Penola all-rounder off guard.

“I got a phone call from the SACA telling me I had to report for Melbourne and I just said ‘why am I going there?’,” Sleep said.

“They just said ‘you are going to be involved in the Test against Pakistan’.

“So I jumped on the flight to get ready for the Test.”

Sleep’s first taste of the top level was far from a drowsy affair.

The Redback picked up a wicket in each innings including Pakistan captain Mushtaq Mohammad, while Australia looked set to chase down the huge target of 385 on the final day.

But Sleep could only watch as Sarfraz Nawaz’s scintillating spell of 7/1 tore the hosts’ dreams apart.

“We looked like winning and all of a sudden Sarfraz started hitting the slope,” Sleep said.

“I remember facing one ball from him and it hit the base of the stumps.

“It was not a great Test, but it is every kid’s dream to play for their country, so it was still an experience of a lifetime.”

After struggling in his limited opportunities in India, Sleep was forced to soldier through the wilderness only being handed one cap in seven years.

Having finally mastered the challenging art of leg-spin, Sleep toiled away at Shield level summer after summer and was rewarded with a homecoming return to the baggy green in the Adelaide Ashes Test of 1986.

Bowling on flat pitch, the tweaker captured double the amount of wickets he had ever taken in an innings and the performance kick-started his most productive period at Test level.

Following his Sydney heroics, Sleep dined out against New Zealand in front of his home crowd, claiming four hard-earned wickets alongside his second Test cricket half century.

The South Australian continued his hot streak in an iconic Boxing Day Test, producing his finest hour with the willow.

Facing the greatest ever Kiwi bowler Sir Richard Hadlee, Sleep showed his grit battling through 256 balls to register his top score of 90.

“Sounda’s” feats played a critical role in Border’s first series win as captain being Australia’s third highest run scorer and runner-up leading wicket taker.

He said a great understanding of his game was the secret, but still feels a maiden Test century was there for the taking.

“At 25 I knew my game and when Barry Richards coached South Australia he taught me so much,” Sleep said.

“Suddenly my whole game plan changed and it was a massive feeling being back in the Test team playing at Adelaide, especially in the Ashes.

“That summer put me at the top of my game and against New Zealand I made 90, but my own South Australian umpire gave me out and I will never forgive him for that.”

Despite playing a starring role in the famous reclaiming of the Trans-Tasman Trophy, Sleep found himself out of the side midway through the Pakistan tour in 1988 and battled to regain the selectors’ faith.

The all-rounder received a call-up out of the blue against Sri Lanka and made a statement, top scoring in the first innings with an unbeaten 47 while also taking five wickets.

But his all-round efforts in the first ever Test at Hobart were not enough to remain in the competitive fight for the spinner’s role in an ever-improving Australian side that would go on to dominate the world.

Sleep only appeared once more in the baggy green and his Test career poetically finished against the same opposition at the same venue where it started 11 years earlier and he has no regrets from him stop-start journey.

“I had a great time playing 17 years of cricket at the first-class and international level so I have been one of the lucky ones,” he said

“Some people got picked out of the blue and my claim to fame is I allowed Shane Warne to take over and the rest is history.”

Although his Test days were over, Sleep remained a valued member of the South Australian setup in a state career that spanned 18 years and 127 games for the Redbacks – the most ever.

He was a critical part of the 1981/82 Sheffield Shield winning team and steered South Australia to glory in the highest first-class fourth-innings run chase ever of 6/506 with with a heroic 97 dipped in red ink.

After achieving so much in his career, Sleep returned to his roots for an emotional homecoming at Yahl as captain coach, but the Barber Shield remained elusive.

“I came back to Yahl for two years after building a house next to mum and dad’s,” he said.

“We got to the grand final twice and lost each time.

“In the 1970’s we reached the semi-finals where I got 122 and four wickets against West and we still lost, so I have never been lucky enough to win it.”

Nowadays Sleep continues to be involved in the summer sport, teaching the next generation as coach of Adelaide District club Woodville.

This role follows a 14-year stint in England coaching the likes of Andrew Flintoff and James Anderson in Lancashire’s second XI side.

Sleep remains the third and latest Limestone Coast Test cricketer, but his story of ambition and resilience can be inspiring for many in the future.