By JARROD POTTER
ZERO-and-two wasn’t the way Dandenong would have envisaged its start to the Victorian Premier Cricket season.
Another cough-and-splutter top-order effort left Dandenong’s middle order and tail with too much responsibility. Dan Doran (19) and Brett Forsyth (29) both got starts but failed to kick on as Ringwood’s David King (1/23) and Ian Holland (3/39) respectively ripped the Panthers batting stars from the crease.
The middle order proved the biggest contributor to the Dandenong cause – James Nanopoulos (26), Cameron Forsyth (22) and wicketkeeper Rob Hearn (37) all held on to give the Panthers something to defend with the ball.
While Dandenong chipped away at the Ringwood top order similarly to its own plight in the first innings, the Panthers couldn’t remove Ringwood powerhouse David King (75) swiftly enough. King guided the tally to 3/140 before edging Darren Pattinson (1/17) to Hearn.
From there Ringwood shook a bit, losing 7/41 as Justin Butterfield (3/30), Nathan Lambden (2/25) and Brent Fairbanks (2/30) chipped in for multiple wickets apiece.
Dandenong’s wayward bowling would come back to haunt them – conceding 23 extras include 16 wides – which proved its downfall. Ringwood chased the last few runs with two overs remaining as Blair Allan (1no) and Michael Topp (0no) batted the side to victory.
Dandenong sits 16th in the competition and will need a win against Fitzroy-Doncaster at home this weekend to avert a dreaded 0-3 start.
