By JARROD POTTER
VICTORIAN PREMIER CRICKET
REVIEW – ROUND 7 (day 2)
WHILE it wasn’t for the win, Dandenong’s (6/287 and 128) batting on Saturday showed great signs of promise and significant improvement over the previous weekend.
St Kilda (3/131dec) quickly earned first-innings points and with the clouds darkening over the Junction Oval and starting to spit, Graeme Rummans decided to send the Panthers back in for a second bat.
While the noise of St Kilda Road traffic and blaring construction thundered across the field, it didn’t detract from the glorious initiative demonstrated by Panthers’ trio James Pattinson (95 not out), James Nanopoulos (45) and the opening combination of Brett Forsyth (36) and Tom Donnell (35).
The Australian Test all-rounder – still disallowed from bowling in the VPC ranks this season – made his mark instead with the blade as he punished anything on a good length and was cruelly denied his century by the end of play.
Outside of a well-made 127 in the secondary squad in 2008/09, Pattinson’s innings on Saturday was his highest knock in Premier Cricket and sent a message through the ranks that his batting is on the rise while his bowling is on sabbatical.
Nanopoulos continued to chip in at number seven, as he has done all season. In his six innings, Nanopoulos has yet to fall beneath double figures and struck his way past 25 on five occasions, including 36 and 45 in this round against St Kilda.
The top order tandem of Forsyth and Donnell also showed their mark of improvement, batting through the spitting rain to add 60 for the first wicket before Donnell was given LBW, much to his own dissatisfaction and Forsyth was out caught by former Panther Matt Chasemore (2/44).
Sitting in 14th on the VPC ladder, Dandenong will now host reigning premiers Footscray-Edgewater in a two-dayer across next weekend.
CASEY SOUTH-MELBOURNE
A DEFIANT second-innings effort wasn’t enough to give Casey-South Melbourne (181 and 9/298) its first points of the Premier season. Dogged work from Reuben Wakefield (49 not out) was about the only shining light as the tail succumbed to Prahran (231 and 3/186dec) pressure.
Prahran plundered a rapid-fire 186 off only 33 overs to force the Bloods back in to defend against outright defeat as Steven De Bolfo (85) and Nathan McNally (74 not out) ran riot.
Lachlan Sperling (80) stood tallest in Casey’s second stand, bludgeoning his best Premier first grade score with 13 fours and a six to impress all at Toorak Park.
His dismissal spelled the end of Casey’s slim chance of reverse outright victory as the visitors slipped to 9/198 by stumps – 38 runs short of the target.
With nowhere to go but up on the VPC ladder (currently 18th), Casey now head to Melbourne’s picturesque Albert Ground for a Round-8 two-dayer.
