By Nick Creely
As Dandenong chase the ultimate glory in Premier Cricket – premierships in both one day and two cricket – this season may very well be the last swansong of one its finest ever players.
Darren Pattinson – the big, bustling quick – who famously made his test debut for England in 2008, may retire at the conclusion of the Premier Cricket season, but it’s definitely not due to a lack of form.
After taking four years off of elite cricket to focus on his greyhounds, the Pearcedale trainer, who also played 62 first class games, returned to the competition this season, and has taken 22 wickets at an average of 15, including a man of the match performance in the Panthers’ one day flag against Carlton, but hasn’t decided whether his body could handle any more cricket after this year.
“I’ve been bowling well, the ball’s been coming out pretty good,” he said.
“I was a bit worried at the start of the season that I might be past it, but it’s coming out really well at the moment.
“I’d like to think (I can keep playing next year), but it’s really hard at 38 years of age – it’s a week by week proposition for me at the moment with my body.”
While Pattinson will leave a hole of experience at the club when he hangs up the whites, he said the talent within the club is as good as it’s ever been.
“We’ve got some really quality bowlers at the club, and at the end of the day, I don’t want to be holding anyone back,” he said.
“If I feel I am, I will definitely step away and move on.
“We’ve got some young bowlers playing in the seconds and the thirds, and they will all play ones- I’ve been here now for 18 years, and this is the best bowling group for a long time, and the best groups of batsmen we’ve had.
“We’ve predominantly been a bowling club, and the batsmen in the twos are getting the job done, so we’ve got depth all over the grades.”
