Panthers set to pounce on outright win

By Paul Pickering
DANDENONG will be going for the jugular against cross-town Premier Cricket rival Casey-South Melbourne this weekend after the Panthers swiftly snatched first innings points at Casey Fields on Saturday.
Having dismissed the struggling Swans for a meagre 159, Dandenong will resume play at 2/165 on day two.
The Panthers will now be eyeing an outright victory this Saturday as they look to vault into the league’s top eight.
On an inviting Cranbourne deck, Swans skipper Michael Hansen (44) – fresh from a mid-week Twenty20 ton – won the toss and opted to bat.
But the undermanned Swans, who were missing five of their best XI players, soon fell victim to some pinpoint seam bowling.
Dave Newman (3/21) again led the Panthers attack, while Matt Chasemore (3/16), Paul Boraston (2/26) and James Butterfield (2/32) all impressed with the ball.
And despite a late-afternoon rain delay, Dandenong opening duo Brett Forsyth (77) and Kumar Sarna (48) put the pedal down to have the Panthers poised to pounce at day’s end.
While playing coach Warren Ayres was non-committal about his strategy for the weekend, he said a lead of about 100 might be reasonable declaration target.
Regardless, the 10th-placed Panthers – just two points outside the finals bracket – will need to take 10 wickets if they are to secure the 10-point reward for outright victory.
“If we won outright, we’d certainly be in the eight,” Ayres said this week.
“But they’re not easy to come by, so we’ll just give it a go and see what comes of it.”