Dandenong fell by five wickets to Essendon in Sunday’s Vic Premier Cricket T20 match.
The Panthers set 6/131 after being sent in, with Brett Forsyth (31 off 35) setting a foundation, but lacked support, until late innings hitting from Gehan Seniviratne and Josh Slater got them to a competitive score.
Dandenong opening bowler Noah Hurley took two wickets in his first spell to keep his team in the game, but a positive, unbeaten 66 off 52 by Essendon opener Harry Duke got Essendon over the line with seven balls to spare.
That followed Dandenong’s game the previous day being abandoned due to inclement weather.
The Panthers sit 15th on the table nine games into the season.
Dandenong’s Second XI side set 4/130 which was comfortably chased by Essendon, opener Dhanusa Gamage’s 61 the highlight.
The Third XI fell short by three runs in a thriller.
Set 140 for victory, contributions from Aryan Mohan, Liam Antonello and Nathan Giove set the match up tantalisingly, but the seventh wicket fell with Dandenong still 27 runs in arrears, but late hitting from Advit Sharma brought it down to the last ball, the Panthers needing five to win and getting a single.
The Fourth XI, meanwhile, lost by 48 runs.
The Panthers take on Richmond on Saturday, which sit fourth on the First XI table.
