Above: The Dandenong Panthers celebrate their first Cricket Victoria premiership after an By Glen Atwell
DANDENONG is the Victorian Premier Cricket champion after defeating St Kilda in a dramatic three-day grand final at Junction Oval.
A 146-run first innings victory was enough to end St Kilda’s tilt at an unprecedented fifth successive premiership flag.
The Panthers batted first on Friday and were reduced to 5/55, before a sixth wicket 130-run partnership between David Newman (76) and Darren Pattinson (87) salvaged the innings.
Resuming at 5/185 on Saturday, Newman and Pattinson continued the charge before Nick Jewell trapped Pattinson in front of his stumps.
A batting collapse followed as Glenn Lalor (6/60) and Jewell removed the final five Dandenong wickets for just 9 runs.
Chasing 226, St Kilda’s opening pair of Jewell (19) and Shawn Craig (15) weathered the new ball attack from Peter Siddle and Pattinson.
Enter Paul Boraston.
Dandenong coach Warren Ayres’ first bowling change was crucial as Boraston took the wickets of Jewell, Michael Klinger (0) and Graeme Rummans (0) to have St Kilda teetering at 3/26.
Boraston soon added Andrew McGuinness (9) to his list of prized scalps.
When Siddle trapped Tim O’Sullivan (3) lbw and David Newman bowled Craig (15), St Kilda’s innings was in state of disarray at 6/50.
Boraston returned to the attack and added the scalps of Adam Warren (5) and Lalor (7) to finish the innings with superb bowling figures of 6/22 from 14 overs.
The scoreboard read 9/80 when Saints skipper O’Sullivan decided he had seen enough.
The captain declared the innings closed and conceded a first innings defeat of 146 runs.
The declaration gave the St Kilda bowlers 10 overs to terrorise the Dandenong batting attack, but openers James Nanopoulos (14 not out) and Kumar Sarna (6 not out) managed to hold on and survive until the end of play.
Controversy struck on Sunday morning when curators arrived to find the overnight covers had been removed from the pitch.
Light rain had fallen early in the morning, leaving a number of damp spots on the wicket and rendering it unplayable until 12.30pm.
The delay favoured the Panthers, who simply had to hang on and bat out the day.
But it was not all smooth sailing.
When play finally resumed, Saints left-arm bowler Simon O’Brien removed James Nanopoulos with his first ball.
The wickets continued to fall.
Tom Donnell (6), Ayres (2) and Newman (6) all walked back to the pavilion with disappointing scores.
Dandenong was in a tough spot at 4/51, but Kumar Sarna (49 not out) and Tim Hooper (20 not out) batted superbly and both remained unbeaten at tea.
O’Sullivan, realising his side had been bested, conceded defeat and Dandenong triumphed as the toast of Premier Cricket.
It was the Panthers’ first flag since beginning in the Victorian Cricket Association in 1974-75.
Dandenong paceman Boraston was presented with the John Scholes Medal, awarded to the best player of the final, for his match-turning bowling spell of 6/22.
O’Sullivan announced his retirement after the match, concluding a prolific Premier Cricket career spanning 15 seasons, 255 matches, 5215 runs, six premierships and a John Scholes Medal.
