Geelong blasts Dandy

By Paul Pickering
GEELONG opener Aaron Finch put Dandenong’s in-form bowling attack to the sword at Kardinia Park on Saturday, blasting an unbeaten 138 from 143 balls to guide his Cats to an eight-wicket victory.
The 22-year-old Bushrangers squad member was unstoppable on a benign deck, smashing 20 boundaries to make a mockery of the Panthers 50-over total of 7/240.
The result saw Dandenong slip to eighth on the Premier Cricket table ahead of the switch to the two-day format this weekend.
Finch’s outburst was a rude awakening for the Panthers bowlers, who had combined to dismiss North Melbourne and Melbourne Uni for an aggregate total of 146 in the previous fortnight.
And as Dandenong skipper Darren Dempsey conceded, they probably lacked a ‘plan B’ when Finch got going.
“We weren’t able to keep the pressure on him long enough to make him play an ordinary shot. We just leaked runs too regularly to him,” Dempsey reflected.
“When the pitch doesn’t offer you anything, you have to find different ways to get wickets – and I don’t think we did that enough.”
Dempsey, who made another authoritative half-century, said the Panthers were probably 20 to 30 runs shy of putting some scoreboard pressure on their hosts.
“They just did everything that little bit better than we did,” he lamented.
Finch’s supreme innings masked some promising batting from the visitors, with Dempsey among four Panthers to pass 40.
Openers Brett Forsyth and Tom Donnell, who had struggled in the first four one-dayers, justified their captain’s choice to bat first by combining for 86 for the opening wicket.
Forsyth fell to Jeremy Hart moments after notching up his milestone, and Donnell soon succumbed to the same bowler for 45.
An uncharacteristically brief stay from number three James Nanopoulos left the game in the balance at 3/109, before Dempsey and accomplished first-year player Rees Thomas joined forces.
The pair added 112 for the fourth wicket to usher their side towards the 250 mark.
But, as Finch got going, it became apparent that the visitors’ only chance to protect the total was to dismiss the stocky stroke-maker.
They couldn’t, and the bowlers – so miserly in recent weeks – suffered the consequences. Darren Pattinson went for 53 from his nine overs, having conceded just 24 from 13 overs against the Roos and Students, and only Nanopoulos and Paul Boraston leaked less than four runs per over.
As if Finch’s exploits weren’t enough, Buchanan was at his explosive best in a late cameo that reaped 33 from 19 balls as the Cats strolled home to win with three overs remaining.
Despite the frustrating afternoon, the Panthers will approach Saturday’s clash against Northcote at Shepley Oval with some confidence.