Howzat: Dandenong Panthers, from left, Tom Donnell, Ricky Damiano and Matt Chasemore rise as one to appeal for the vital wicket of Hawthorn-Monash Uni’s Simon Dart on Saturday.
By Paul Pickering
DANDENONG made a triumphant return to its Shepley Oval fortress on Saturday, recording an emphatic first-innings win over Hawthorn-Monash Uni to reverse its flagging Victorian Premier Cricket fortunes.
The Panthers were poised to pounce on Saturday morning, with Hawthorn-Monash Uni reduced to 5/85 – still 114 runs behind – by the new-ball heroics of Dave Newman the previous weekend.
While Newman (4/22) could not add to his impressive haul, seam partner Paul Boraston (2/62) struck almost immediately, trapping wicketkeeper-batsman Ben Cookson in front to have the Hawks reeling at 6/87.
Burly paceman Brett Fairbanks (3/36) then dismissed a short-lived Hawks fightback, making Simon Dart the first of his three scalps for the morning.
With the Hawthorn-Monash Uni tail providing only token resistance, the Panthers claimed a 56-run lead on the first innings.
In its second dig, Dandenong took advantage of a flat Shepley Oval pitch to gain some valuable batting practice.
After falling one run short of his half-century the previous week, merciless opener Kumar Sarna slashed his way to 71 – including 14 boundaries – before being trapped by Dale Tormey.
After Sarna’s dismissal, Matt Chasemore (62 not out) and Tom Donnell (51 not out) gave no respite to the Hawks’ attack, playing an unbeaten 102-run partnership before stumps was called early.
After the match, Dandenong playing coach Warren Ayres was quick to congratulate Fairbanks for his fiery morning spell.
“It was good to see him do well,” Ayres said.
“He came in and really hit the wicket hard – which is what he’s good at.”
Having accounted for the in-form Hawks to snare 12th spot on the ladder, Ayres was optimistic about the Panthers’ prospects for the remainder of the season.
Dandenong now heads to Schramms Reserve to face a struggling Fitzroy-Doncaster side over the coming fortnight.
