Dandy hangs tough

By Paul Pickering
DANDENONG kept its slim finals hopes alive by crushing lowly Melbourne University by an innings and 10 wickets on Saturday.
The students resumed their second innings at 5/57 – still 54 runs behind – and did their best to delay the inevitable.
Former Lancashire skipper Mark Chilton (89) and Michael Nalesnyik (7) safely negotiated the first hour, but Nalesnyik must have considered himself lucky to survive a series of confident LBW shouts from Panthers all-rounder Dave Newman (2/33).
Just as the ungainly Nalesnyik began to settle, he found himself on the end of a perfect Paul Boraston (2/37) yorker that cannoned into his middle stump.
Boraston claimed his second scalp four balls later, when Tom Savill presented Matt Chasemore with the easiest of chances at cover.
Uni skipper Paul Percy then joined Chilton at the crease and provided the grit to complement the Englishman’s class, but when the latter eventually fell to Newman the resistance was all but over.
Medium-pacer James Nanopoulos (2/35) cleaned up the tail to leave Dandenong needing just 34 runs to get in their second dig for outright victory.
Bustling quick Brent Fairbanks finished with figures of 3/21, while Bushranger Darren Pattinson sat out Saturday’s play because he was on standby for the Pura Cup final on Sunday.
Dandenong openers Tom Donnell (25 not out) and Brett Forsyth (7 not out) knocked the runs off in 12 overs.
The rout catapulted the Panthers to within reach of the top eight ahead of Saturday’s final round clash with Casey-South Melbourne.
Dandenong now sits in 10th spot with 31 points, behind Melbourne (33), Hawthorn-Monash University (34), Geelong (36) and St Kilda (36).
Even if the Panthers can score six points from an innings victory against the Swans, they will still have to rely on other results falling their way to sneak into the finals.
The Demons and Hawks will clash at Monash University over the next fortnight, while the Cats play third-placed Carlton and the Saints host struggling North Melbourne.
Dandenong will be without Pattinson’s services this weekend, after the Test seamer received a call-up for Victoria’s Sheffield Shield match against Tasmania beginning today.