Panthers tear apart Tigers’ attack

By Paul Pickering
TIME in the middle proved to be just the tonic for Dandenong’s struggling batsmen at Shepley Oval on Saturday.
The Panthers amassed a formidable total of 7/377 against Richmond to take a vice-like hold on their first two-day fixture of the season.
Richmond skipper Matt Mulcahy must have seen something in the Dandenong deck, but the advantage of winning the toss was quickly nullified by some measured batting from Panthers pair Tom Donnell (60) and Brett Forsyth (25).
Forsyth’s usual opening partner, Kumar Sarna, walked out on the club to return to India during the week, so Donnell’s adept knock could not have come at a better time.
The new left-hand right-hand combination negotiated much of the first session to set a solid platform for the innings, before Matt Chasemore (44) arrived to capitalise on improving batting conditions.
Every Panther batsman got a start, but it was Donnell, Darren Dempsey (85) and James Nanopoulos (59 not out) who proved most damaging.
Nanopoulos clouted six fours and two sixes in just 44 balls at the crease, registering his highest score in the first XI and underlining his undeniable talent.
Dempsey’s innings spanned 111 deliveries and included 12 boundaries, following on from a match-winning 80 in Dandenong’s one-dayer against Essendon the previous weekend.
The Tigers were unable to take back-to-back wickets, but Luke Naughtin (2/25), Andrew Fekete (2/55) and Simon Taylor (2/95) had some success.
For Panthers coach Warren Ayres, it was the first stress-free afternoon of the season.
“The day couldn’t have gone any better for us really,” he said.
“All our batsmen looked so comfortable and we hardly played and missed all day.”
Ayres was keen to acknowledge the role played by Donnell and Forsyth up front, noting that their calculated aggression filtered down to their more-experienced teammates.
“Our openers set the day up for us and that gave the rest of our batsmen confidence,” he said.
“For Tom Donnell to get 60 at the start was important, particularly with the loss of Kumar.”
The Dandenong bowling attack will be without Darren Pattinson on Saturday, after the Test quick was picked to play for Victoria in its Sheffield Shield clash against New South Wales this week.