Dandy

By Paul Pickering
DANDENONG slumped to 13th on the Premier Cricket table with an 88-run first innings loss to Carlton at Shepley Oval on Saturday.
The Panthers were desperate for early wickets, with Carlton resuming at 6/122 and needing just 20 runs to snatch six points.
Blues pair Nick Ross (36) and Chris Millard (48), who rescued their side from 6/77 on day one, looked to have safely negotiated the early assault from Dandenong’s quicks until Paul Boraston (3/52) struck with the score at 140.
By that stage the result was a mere formality, with the Blues’ tail wagging to reach 229 before Panthers skipper Darren Dempsey ended his side’s misery by dismissing pesky number 11 Chris Salm (28).
That made Dandenong’s second innings a virtual dead rubber, leaving Brett Forsyth (60 not out) and Matt Chasemore (34 not out) to make the most of some time in the middle.
Forsyth’s unbeaten 60 came from 78 balls and included 10 boundaries, taking his average to a team-leading 40.9 for the summer.
The other bright spot for the Panthers was the debut of 16-year-old left-arm swingman Jackson Coleman.
Coleman, who represented Victoria with aplomb in the recent under-17 nationals in Perth, made Millard his maiden first XI scalp and registered serviceable figures of 1/22 from five overs.
Unfortunately, the Panthers are unlikely to see much more of him this season, because his services will be required by Haileybury College’s first XI.
Dandenong’s first two-day loss of the season sees it slip six points adrift of the top eight with three matches to play.
The last two of those clashes are against the two bottom sides, Melbourne Uni and Casey-South Melbourne, so Saturday’s match-up against fifth-placed St Kilda at the Junction Oval will be a crucial launching point for any push towards the finals.