Dandenong pace prodigy Justin Butterfield sees another delivery dispatched through the covers by Camberwell’s Irish import Jeremy Bray.By Paul Pickering
DANDENONG found no respite from its premiership hangover at Camberwell Sports Ground on Saturday, with a move to the two-day format only accentuating the Panthers’ pain.
Having begun the Premier Cricket season with an uninspiring set of five one-dayers for just two victories, the Panthers would have been hoping to reprise some semblance of form in the long version of the game.
On an overcast morning, playing coach Warren Ayres elected to bowl in a bid to take advantage of any moisture in the pitch – a decision endorsed by all eight toss-winning skippers on the day.
But the juicy deck held no fears for the home side, with Jeremy Bray (132) and Matthew Wade (47) exercising impeccable shot selection from the outset to compile an opening partnership of 113.
Left-handed Irish import Bray took a particular liking to the Panthers’ seam quartet of Boraston, Fairbanks, Newman and Butterfield, finding the boundary 21 times in a consummate opener’s knock.
To the Panthers’ agony, Bray and Magpie skipper Simon Hill (93) then proceeded to ram home the advantage until the Irishman was finally spun out by Nathan Allen with the Camberwell tally at 251.
The tweakers proved to be the only dangerous option for the Panthers, with Allen bowling 30 overs in the afternoon to take 6/116.
While Allen’s haul allowed Dandenong to salvage some respect from the day, the performance of the Panther pace attack – minus Bushranger Peter Siddle and the injured Pattinson brothers – is reason for concern.
Ayres will now be looking to his fellow batsmen to remind the competition of why the Panthers held the silverware aloft last summer.
After a tough day in the field, Dandenong’s opening pairing of Brett Forsyth and Kumar Sarna – who both gained selection in the Victorian under 19 team for the National Championships in Tasmania next month – will be hoping to set the tone for the Panthers’ revival this Saturday morning.
