By JARROD POTTER
BATTING with the fragility of wet cardboard, Dandenong (113) let the match fall from its fingers against Fitzroy-Doncaster (8/163cc).
Dandenong let the cat out of the bag as Fitzroy-Doncaster somehow recovered from 6/61 to post 8/163cc.
The Panthers were primed early as Lions’ openers Matt Bremner and Ejaaz Alavi had a horrific mix-up run-out on the second ball of the game – so early and unexpected that the Dandenong committeemen hadn’t even put the chairs out by then.
Alavi soon followed Bremner back to the sheds, getting a tiny edge to Dan Doran at first slip as Darren Pattinson (3/42) claimed his first scalp of the day.
Four more wickets would rattle off quickly as the visitors fell to 6/61 before their only shining light at bat, Tim Sheehan (65no) finally got some aid via wicketkeeper Liam Banthorpe (19) and a resolute 59-run stand for the eighth wicket with J. Rudd (33). James Wilcock (2/17) was the other major contributing bowler.
Dandenong let Fitzroy-Doncaster off the leash and the Lions made their lifeline count with the ball.
The Panthers couldn’t force a meek mew, let alone a fearsome roar with the bat and similarly collapsed like the visitors. Dandenong fell to 6/56, soon to be 8/85 as nothing could be done to stop the bleeding. Cameron Forsyth, showing the most backbone of the experienced batting card, bunkered down to make his 20 from 57 balls before getting stumped off Alavi (3/18). Pattinson (13) and Wilcock (13) tried to revive the chase, but by then the spate of wickets left Dandenong 50-runs short of a small total on a small ground.
It’s been a lacklustre start to the Premier year for the Panthers – 0-3 and needing to bounce back against Richmond on Sunday – played as the Journal went to print.
Next week the Panthers face Essendon away for their first two-dayer.
