By JARROD POTTER
Victorian Premier Cricket – round 16 (week one)
PUNISHED… there is no better way of describing the ruthless way Dandenong was belted about Merv Hughes Oval by Footscray-Edgewater (7/328).
With their season hanging in the balance the Panthers failed to make any tangible inroads towards the Footscray tail quickly enough.
Nathan Lambden (1/43) snared the early scalp of Dean Russ (13) before Anthony Barton (44) and Travis Dean (119) were brought together.
Adding 76 runs for the second wicket, Barton’s wicket at the hands of Justin Butterfield (1/44) only brought more pain for the Panthers. Dean went after any Dandenong bowler who came near him and gained strong support from former Australian Test all-rounder and current Victorian representative John Hastings (87). The pair put on 149 for the third wicket as boundaries flew around the field.
Dean carried on to bat through the innings as the unlikely wicket-taker emerged through Tom Donnell (3/11).
The hard yards and bowling toil came from leg-spinner Dan Doran (1/111) off 24 overs and James Nanopoulos (0/74) off 23 overs as the all-rounders put in long spells to maintain the quicker bowlers’ energy.
Eventually stumps greeted Dandenong and left the Panthers with 329 runs to chase yesterday (Sunday).
The match concluded on Sunday afternoon after the Dandenong Journal went to print.
