By ROY WARD
DANDENONG Panthers showed some good signs for the season ahead in a washed-out Premier Cricket clash with Casey-South Melbourne at Casey Fields on Saturday.
The Panthers lost the toss and were sent in, managing to make 5-168 from 41 overs before rain set in and left no chance for further play.
Panthers vice-captain Tom Donnell made an impressive 70 runs off 117 balls and meshed well with stand-in opener Daniel Doran, who scored an aggressive 31 off 23 balls.
New Panthers import Steven Mullaney also got his eye in with 21 off 26 balls after arriving in Australia on Wednesday.
Donnell, who captained the Panthers for the first time in a full match, said his side batted well in the overcast conditions. “The wicket wasn’t that bad, considering it was the first round and with the weather we have had,” he said. “I actually didn’t expect conditions to be as good as they were.”
Donnell said Doran impressed with his array of shots. The former Queensland Sheffield Shield player has a history of opening in one-day matches and Donnell said he had proven a valuable signing with regular opener Brett Forsyth recovering from a knee injury.
“He [Doran] likes to whack the ball around and play his shots,” Donnell said. “He has been very handy in the top order while Brett is out and hopefully he will continue to be good for us in the other one-day games.”
Donnell said Mullaney also showed some good touch with the bat and would prove more helpful as a middle innings bowler during full one-day matches. “He is a medium pacer who mixes his balls up quite a bit; he has looked good in training.”
The Panthers host Essendon at Shepley Oval on Saturday in a one-day match and Donnell expects to hand the leadership reins back to captain Darren Pattinson, who was away on Victorian commitments.
Donnell said the Panthers had to be wary of Essendon bowlers Steven Reid and Louis Cameron. “We have to get off to a good start and build a good total,” he said.
■ The DDCA was yesterday deciding the status of this Saturday’s matches following rain disruptions over the weekend.
This Saturday’s matches were meant to be the second day of a two-day match, but with very few overs bowled in any of the matches the DDCA executive will decide whether to declare this Saturday’s matches as one-day games or leave them as two-day matches.
The DDCA said its executive would make its decision after the completion of some remaining matches scheduled yesterday.
For more pictures of Panthers-Casey clash, click here.
For all the latest breaking news, stay with this website. Also, follow the Weekly at facebook.com/greaterdandenongweekly or on Twitter @DandenongWeekly.
