By JARROD POTTER
HALTED at the last hurdle, Dandenong (191) won’t get a chance to avenge its 2011/12 grand final defeat after Melbourne (2/193) comfortably strolled into the big dance.
Starts from the Panthers weren’t cashed in – Tom Donnell (36) valiantly battled ahead from the top-order as wickets fell around him.
Donnell and James Nanopoulos (45) forged ahead before Donnell struck out against state representative Alex Keath (4/41).
Nanopoulos and captain Darren Pattinson (41) wrought Dandenong’s best stand of the match – reaping 76 for the sixth wicket, but their stand came to a close via Keath knocking over the captain’s pegs.
The last ditch effort of Nanopoulos and Justin Butterfield (17) gave the Panthers a fighting chance with 191 to their name.
Brenton McDonald (3/61) virtually bowled all day with his spinners.
The reply from Melbourne was short, brutish and destructive in all senses of the word. Taking only 26.1 overs to chase 191, at a rate well into the seven-per-over territory, Victorian Bushrangers representatives Andrew McDonald (89 not out) and Michael Hill (69 not out) went undefeated for a 168-run grand final earning partnership.
Early wickets approaching stumps on day one went to Butterfield (1/49) and Pattinson (1/40) but the Panthers wouldn’t have anything to smile about on Sunday as the Andrew McDonald/Hill partnership emphatically booked Melbourne’s spot in the grand final.
It will remain a year that Dandenong slipped too far behind the pecking order before a desperate scramble to catch up.
Tom Donnell, substitute captain for most of the season with Darren Pattinson on Big Bash duties, scored 945 runs at 47.25 – leading the aggregate in Victorian Premier Cricket.
Justin Butterfield (36 wickets at 16.97) and James Nanopoulos (35 at 15.54) lead the Panthers’ bowling stocks with Pattinson (20 at 17.30) not far behind, despite only playing 13 matches.
Dan Doran also had some strong all-round returns, with 415 runs at 18.86 and 27 wickets at 22.7 for his first season back in Victoria.
Melbourne faces Ringwood at the Junction Oval this weekend from 30 March to 1 April.
