By RUSSELL BENNETT
FORMER Test fast bowler Darren Pattinson sure made his presence felt on Tuesday night at Glover Reserve in his first game in Devon Meadows red.
Pattinson, who was born in England and played one Test for his native country, is the older brother of rising star quick and Australian Test player James Pattinson.
Darren is the Panthers’ marquee player for this season’s West Gippsland Cricket Association Twenty20 Kookaburra Cup and was thrown the ball straight away on Tuesday night at Glover Reserve after bitter rivals Merinda Park won the toss and elected to bat.
He removed Cobras opener Daniel McCalman and finished with two wickets for the match, but it was with the willow that he really shone.
The 35-year-old Pattinson smashed a century for Doveton in the Dandenong District Cricket Association’s Turf 2 competition last month – showing how handy he is with willow in hand – and on Tuesday he showed his strength with the bat once again – blasting 65 off just 29 deliveries as the home side chased down Merinda Park’s 108 in just 12 blistering overs.
Pattinson plundered the Merinda Park attack, plastering boundaries to all parts of Glover Reserve – in fact 12 in total, including three huge sixes.
Earlier in the day Mick Floyd led the Panthers attack, utilising his slower off-cutter to perfection – finishing with 3/17 from four overs including the scalps of dangerous trio Jess Mathers, Danny Diwell and Jason Pongracic.
Elsewhere in Kookaburra Cup action on Tuesday night, the rampaging Cardinia Bulls got their campaign off to a flying start with victory in Clyde over the hometown Cougars. Interestingly, the Bulls’ marquee player for the tournament is former Merinda Park speedster Jarrod Armitage who is ninth in the DDCA Turf 1 wicket tally while leading the Springvale South attack.
Other winners in the first round of the WGCA T20 competition include Nar Nar Goon/Maryknoll over Cranbourne Meadows; Upper Beaconsfield over Pakenham; Emerald over Beaconsfield; Kooweerup over Tooradin; Pakenham Upper-Toomuc over St Francis Xavier; and B Grade surprise packets Gembrook, who rolled District side Lyndhurst on their Barry Simon Rec Reserve home deck.
