A return to form from Dandenong seamer Paul Boraston could not prevent the Panthers from suffering a 43-run defeat to Geelong on the weekend.By Paul Pickering
AFTER returning empty-handed from a weekend trip to Geelong, the Dandenong Panthers will face a must-win Premier Cricket clash against Northcote this Saturday.
The Panthers found Cats paceman Mark Carson (6/28) too much to handle on a lively pitch at Kardinia Park on Sunday, falling 43 runs short of Geelong’s total of 206.
Opting to bowl first on a dreary Saturday morning, the Panthers started promisingly to have the Cats at 8/138 midway through the afternoon.
But Dandenong’s dangerous seam trio of Paul Boraston (3/43), Dave Newman (3/59) and Matt Chasemore (3/37) were kept out by a frustrating 60-run partnership between Luke Muller (57) and Cameron Alford (12).
Chasing 206 on Sunday, the Panthers failed to come to terms with Carson’s nagging line and length.
Ultimately, it was only a classy unbeaten 66 from Newman that prevented an embarrassing collapse.
And while Panthers playing coach Warren Ayres lamented a lacklustre run chase, he noted that the game could easily have been theirs if not for the useful alliance between Muller and Alford on Saturday afternoon.
“At the end of the day, that was probably the difference in the game,” Ayres reflected.
Despite the loss, Dandenong remains in sixth place with two games left in the regular season, while Geelong has closed to within three points of the Panthers in seventh position.
Dandenong will now take on struggling Northcote (14th) at Shepley Oval over the next fortnight.
And with the prospect of a final-round grudge match against Ringwood (fourth) looming on the horizon, Ayres and his charges will be desperate to consolidate their spot in the top eight.
