By Marcus Uhe
Dandenong’s Victorian Premier Cricket season has concluded in a disappointing draw against Greenvale at Shepley Oval after failing to bowl the Kangaroos out on Saturday.
The Panthers kept the visitors to 8/221 but the failure to grab the final two wickets ultimately cost them the win, and the chance to wrap-up Tom Donnell’s first season in-charge as coach with a victory.
Noah Hurley made an ideal start to the innings with a wicket in the second over of the innings, but the wicket they needed was fellow opener and Greenvale skipper, Justin Galeotti.
Galeotti was in for the long haul, the constant at the other end while wickets fell around him, while scoring at a strike rate of just 29.
He added 92 with Odil Perera for the second wicket and 37 with Damith Perera for the third, with Damith’s wicket triggering a stumble of 3/13 in the middle of the innings.
Ben Allison and Noah Hurley posed constant threats with the ball, as did Ollie Jenkins’ spinning varieties.
Galeotti remained though, and found an equally patient partner in number seven, Angus Webb.
The two added 52 for the sixth wicket before both departed in the space of three balls late in the day, opening the door for the Panthers to snatch a result in the latter stages.
Hurley claimed his third wicket of the innings at the start of the 88th over, but that would be the final breakthrough for the Panthers as the visitors completed their 90 overs eight wickets down.
Galeotti finished with 76 off 261 deliveries; the hero for Greenvale.
Hurley (3/63), Allison (2/40) and Jenkins (2/32) shared the wickets for Dandenong.
After just two wins last season, the Panthers managed to score five victories in a much-improved showing under Donnell’s leadership as coach.
The young squad’s form faded as the season went on, after a bright start that saw them bat their way to two wins in the opening three contests, in what was a season of learning and development.
Brett Forsyth topped the run scorers list on the back of a stellar year, with 781 runs and four centuries, the second most runs of anyone in Victorian Premier Cricket this season, while Hurley led the wicket-takers with 25.
