By JARROD POTTER
VICTORIAN PREMIER CRICKET – ROUND 1 REVIEW
DANDENONG should take the field every public holiday if Friday’s effort against Kingston-Hawthorn is anything to go by.
The Panthers (0/115) mauled the Hawks (114) in all facets of a 10-wicket thumping as Victorian Premier Cricket commenced with a rare Friday season-opener on the Grand Final Eve day-off.
James Miller (21) and the skipper Ryan Ninan (37) had the makings of a strong partnership in the middle order, but once West Gippsland seamer Adam McMaster (2/21) steamed through Miller, the wheels started to fall off the Hawks’ innings.
Sharing the wickets, James Wilcock (3/36) and spinner Pete Sweeney (3/16) dispatched the lower order to rattle off 7/62 in an impressive period after drinks.
The skipper Donnell (61 not out) and long-time opening partner Brett Forsyth (49 not out) destroyed anything the Hawks could muster.
Donnell took to Javed Khan (0/19 off three overs) and Tom Collett (0/27 off three overs) to force Kingston-Hawthorn to frantically switch up its bowlers.
It didn’t work as Donnell smashed his first half-century of the season.
Forsyth was not to be outdone by the skipper, as he proved exceptional with some inventive strokes – including a “Dilscoop” over his head for four – and two front-foot, cross-bat sixes with the match-winner leaving him one short of a well-deserved 50.
It only took the opening tandem 14.5 overs to dispatch the visitors without so much as a second innings drinks break as the clock stopped ticking at 1.54pm in one of the earliest finishes in club one-day history.
“It was pretty handy – we thought it was going to be a tough one first up … but the game was looking in the balance when they were only a couple down,” Donnell said.
“To fight back and take six or seven for 30 in the middle there really set things up.
“(The pitch) was alright – bit on the slower side, which it always is this time of year, but just wanted to take advantage of the short boundary and the wind, so luckily got a couple away which was good.”
Donnell praised his bowlers for clipping the Hawks’ wings as 114 is a chase any Premier batsman would take in a heartbeat.
“The batsmen have the easy job out there always and it’s not too bad chasing a low target,” Donnell said. “It’s the bowlers that have to take all the credit there – they’ve put in a great pre-season there and the rewards start to come and hopefully we can take it from here.”
Donnell admitted the side is in need of a front-line spinner but was pleased with the left-arm efforts of Sweeney as the side utilised its part-timers well.
“That’s one obvious thing we’ve tried to fix,” Donnell said. “We’ve tried to get a spinner and haven’t been able to get a hold of anyone, but Pete did a great job today – he’s a really good bowler and knows what he can do and is a little bit underrated I think, even within the club.
“We’ve still got Tanner (Stanton) to bowl a few leggies too and that’s filling in a little bit – we need a frontline spinner that would top us off nicely, especially in the two-dayers to bowl a chunk of the overs.”
Dandenong hopes to get former Victorian representative Darren Pattinson into the line-up soon to add another point of power to the first XI.
The Panthers head out to Toorak Park to battle Prahran in round two action.
