By Marcus Uhe
Dandenong’s bowling attack will need to be at the top of its game next week after the batting group’s glittering run in Victorian Premier Cricket came to an end against Frankston Peninsula on Saturday.
The Panthers finished the day at 9/218 from 96 overs at Jubilee Park as the top order failed to convert its starts.
Dhanusha Gamage was dismissed for the first time in his short tenure at the top level, equal top-scoring with Josh Slater on 52.
Gamage and captain Brett Forsyth’s 58-run stand for the second wicket was the largest partnership of the day, as regular wickets from the Heat consistently disrupted batting momentum.
Where Gamage, Forsyth and Slater all made starts, the remainder of the top seven in Andrey Fernando (4), Max Marinic (6), Matthew Wilson (8) and Sam Newell (3) all failed to reach double figures.
Right-arm quick Brodie Symons was the pick of the Heat’s bowlers taking 4/58, with former Australian Test spinner Jon Holland claiming 2/51.
There were no such issues with the bat for Casey South Melbourne, hitting 301 for the loss of only two wickets on a bumper batting day at Casey Fields against Kingston Hawthorn.
Ashley Chandrasinghe sent a reminder of his class to Victorian selectors with 113 in a 180-run partnership with Harrish Kannan, who raised the bat himself with 124.
The two began their union in the ninth over when Yash Pednekar was bowled for just five and batted for 66 overs together to take the score from 1/14 to 2/194.
Former Swans captain Michael Wallace added a quick half-century late in the day off only 54 deliveries to heap the pressure on the Hawks, whose bowlers were fresh off a tough day in the field just seven days prior against Dandenong.
It’s two 300-plus scores in consecutive rounds for the Swans after blitzing Camberwell for 355 in round three.
They’ll begin the day next week with the option of continuing on with the bat, but the sparkling form of Nathan Lambden, the competition’s second-highest wicket taker, will be hard to ignore, should they choose to take the new ball.
