Dandenong played spoiler and finished off its good work against Geelong on day two of round 15 in Victorian Premier Cricket.
The Panthers dealt a major blow to the Cats’ finals hopes with a six-wicket victory at the Geelong Cricket Ground on Saturday.
Resuming at 1/92, chasing 188, with superstar Brett Forsyth and Dhanusha Gamage at the crease, Dandenong quickly made light work of the required total.
Just before the Panthers reached the amount, Forsyth (93) was trapped in front agonisingly short of his fourth century for the season.
But the visitors powered on and picked up the result as Gamage closed in on a century of his own.
However, he too was left heartbreakingly short of a ton when he slogged over his shoulder but was caught in the deep, also falling for 93.
Josh Slater (44 not out) and Matthew Wilson (33 not out) added handy scores and Dandenong settled for victory at 4/282 after 91 overs.
The Panthers now head home for the last two games of the season, starting with a clash against third-placed Melbourne before closing its season against fifth-placed Carlton.
VIC PREMIER SUMMARY
Results R15 (Two day): Greenvale (251) def by Kingston Hawthorn (284), Geelong (187) def by Dandenong (4/282), Melbourne University (316) def by Prahran (375), Richmond (256) def Ringwood (150), Casey South Melbourne (2/228) def Footscray (206), Melbourne (6/327) def Carlton (9/326), Camberwell (3/254) def St Kilda (193), Northcote (8/357) def Essendon (252), Fitzroy Doncaster (291) def Frankston Peninsula (180).
Ladder: St Kilda 64, Footscray 59, Melbourne 54, Casey South Melbourne 52, Carlton 52, Prahran 52, Richmond 49, Camberwell 49, Northcote 45, Ringwood 37, Geelong 35, Melbourne University 34, Dandenong 32, Frankston Peninsula 32, Fitzroy Doncaster 27.3, Essendon 21, Kingston Hawthorn 11, Greenvale 10.
Fixture R16 (Two Day – Feb 7/14): Ringwood (10) v Casey South Melbourne (4), Dandenong (13) v Melbourne (3), Kingston Hawthorn (17) v Fitzroy Doncaster (15), Frankston Peninsula (14) v Geelong (11), Prahran (6) v Northcote (9), Carlton (5) v Camberwell (8), Richmond (7) v St Kilda (1), Greenvale (18) v Melbourne University (12), Essendon (16) v Footscray (2).
