By JARROD POTTER
VICTORIAN PREMIER CRICKET
IF you can’t join them, beat them.
Dandenong Cricket Club’s Victorian Premier Cricket fixture was released on Tuesday and it confirmed a heated match-up will be first on the agenda.
Dandenong versus Kingston Hawthorn.
The newly formed side, merged from the Kingston Saints in VSDCA and the former Hawthorn-Monash University Premier team, is the result of Hawthorn walking away from a proposed merger with Dandenong at the 11th hour.
With the failed merger between Dandenong and Hawthorn Monash University still fresh with many Premier cricketers, it will be a fiery way for the Panthers to start off the 2015/16 season.
Dandenong coach Ross Woodall said the group wasn’t too concerned with what could have been with the merger and was just looking forward to whoever faces off against them each week.
“Probably haven’t thought about it too much to be honest,” Woodall said.
“We just want to prepare for that first game as well as we possibly can – whether the first game is against Kingston or anyone else, we want to be in the best position to take the points.
“There may be a bit more feeling to it, but since its a game of cricket we just have to make sure by the end of that weekend we have the four points in the bank and we’re starting the season the way we want to.”
Dandy depth has been replenished through the local ranks as a number of juniors look set to fill out the second and third sides heading into season 2015/16, but the big ins should place Dandenong’s first XI well for a tilt at Victoria Premier Cricket finals after a two-season absence.
The ins list is headed by Greenvale’s Alex Kerr – bringing his batting nuance to a local Premier club – alongside Prahran all-rounder Michael Nyary and the biggest Dandenong in – Darren Pattinson.
Pattinson returns from a year in the DDCA at Doveton and the former skipper and premiership player will add depth and a bit of edge to the younger bowling and battling ranks.
“It’s critical that our first grade team gets back to a position to play finals – we haven’t been able to do that recently – and landing Darren Pattinson is a massive in for us, in what he brings to us on game day and also his leadership.”
Leaving the group from the first XI are Nathan Lambden (Casey-South Melbourne), Matt Willcocks (Northcote) and the skipper Dan Doran – who has returned to the Gold Coast for work reasons.
Woodall said the club was tossing up whether an import spinner would be brought in for the season, otherwise the duties would fall to the eager hands of young tandem Tanner Stanton and Jack Worrell.
Tom Donnell will skipper the new look side, with vice-captain James Nanopoulos, in its first outing on Sunday 4 October, at Shepley Oval.
VICTORIAN PREMIER CRICKET 2015-16 FIXTURE
ROUND 1 – Sunday 4 October
Dandenong v Kingston-Hawthorn
ROUND 2 – Saturday 10 October
Prahran v Dandenong
ROUND 3 – Sunday 11 October
Dandenong v Casey-South Melbourne
ROUND 4 – Saturday 17 October
Ringwood v Dandenong
ROUND 5 – Saturday 24 October
Dandenong v Northcote
ROUND 6 – Saturdays 31 Oct and 7 November
Essendon v Dandenong
RESERVE DAY Sunday 8 November (1sts and 2nds only)
ROUND 7 – Saturdays 14 and 21 November
Dandenong v Carlton
ROUND 8 – Saturdays 28 November and 5 December
Camberwell Magpies v Dandenong
ROUND 9 – Saturday 12 December (T20)
Dandenong v Geelong
ROUND 10 – Sunday 13 December (T20)
Melbourne v Dandenong
ROUND 11 – Saturday 19 December
Frankston-Peninsula v Dandenong
ROUND 12 – Saturday 9 January (T20)
Dandenong v St Kilda
ROUND 13 – Sunday 10 January (T20)
Footscray-Edgewater v Dandenong
ROUND 14 – Saturdays 16 and 23 January
Dandenong v Monash Tigers
ROUND 15 – Saturdays 30 January and 6 February
Melbourne Uni v Dandenong
WHITE BALL FINALS – Sunday 7 February
ROUND 16 – Saturdays 13 and 20 February
Dandenong v Fitzroy-Doncaster
ROUND 17 – Saturdays 27 February and 5 March
Greenvale Kangaroos v Dandenong
FINALS SERIES
Quarter-finals – Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 March
Semi-finals – Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 March
1sts finals – Saturday 26, Sunday 27 and Monday 28 March
2nds, 3rds and 4ths finals – Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 March
