By Nick Creely
VICTORIAN PREMIER CRICKET
PREVIEW 2016/17
DANDENONG CRICKET CLUB
The Panthers missed out on finals for the third straight season last year and endured a tough campaign.
Finishing near the bottom in the club championship will be something the boys at Shepley Oval will be hoping never happens again.
The club has brought in some fantastic youth, has recruited well and its front-line players are still getting the job done.
With a rejuvenation of some quality youngsters, the Panthers look fresh and ready to go.
Head Coach: Nick Speak (Former County batsman for Durham and Lancashire who amassed 15 centuries in a decade long career)
Batting Coach: Owen Mottau (Former international skills coach and First XI batsman)
Bowling Coach: Paul Boraston (Former First XI bowler and Panthers life member)
Captain: Tom Donnell
Ins: Lincoln Edwards (Melbourne CC), Jacques Augustin (Fitzroy Doncaster), Callum Parkinson (UK-Derbyshire/Urmston CC), Matt Weitering (Springvale South), Sam Whibley (Bunyip), Kim Drew (Hallora), Zach Perryman (Endeavour Hills)
Outs: David Alleyne (retired), James Wilcock (Berwick)
What the club says:
“It’s a really young list and there was just such much movement last year in selection between grades, so really it’s just been me trying to get a handle on the list and where I see people are at on the depth chart and obviously try and bring some people in which we have done.
“We only need to win two more games than last year to finish top eight so we weren’t far off, but we can challenge top six at worst, and club championships top four.” – Nick Speak, head coach.
Last season: 1sts (10th); 2nds (18th); 3rds (11th); 4ths (3rd)
Club Championship: 13th
Batting: Brett Forsyth, 17 matches, 589 runs, Avg 34.65, 1 100 1 50, HS 103, Tom Donnell, 17 matches, 585 runs, Avg 39.00, 1 100 3 50s, HS 119
Bowling: Justin Butterfield, 17 matches, 40 wickets, Avg 16.9, BB 5/42, ECN 3.6, Adam McMaster, 13 matches, 29 wickets, Avg 20.45, BB 5/60, ECN 3.82
First Match: vs Footscray Edgewater, Shepley Oval, 30 September
What to expect: The club has added to its depth through the signings of Lincoln Edwards, a solid middle-order batsman from Melbourne and Jacques Augustin from Fitzroy Doncaster.
Combined with an exciting array of youth, such as Matt Weitering from Springvale South, it will be interesting to see how different the club’s sides look Round 1.
The signing of young overseas spinner Callum Parkinson, who has played four County games for Derbyshire this season at just 19 years of age, is a massive coup.
The losses of veteran David Alleyne and James Wilcock will allow some of the youth in the lower grades to push their case in the top-side.
The Panthers are a proud and very successful cricket club and will be desperate to atone for a couple of down years.
Ensuring their top-line players remain in form is of the highest importance, as players like Tom Donnell, Brett Forsyth and Justin Butterfield are integral components of the make-up of the team.
Under the tutelage of the very highly regarded Nick Speak, the club will almost certainly improve.
Dandenong Cricket Club is also searching for another scorer for one of their teams.
This position would suit someone who has an interest in cricket or is a former/retired cricketer who is still keen to be involved in cricket in some way.
Anyone interested can contacted Liz Williamson on 0409 184 277.
