VICTORIAN PREMIER CRICKET
REVIEW – ROUNDS 8 & 9 (T20s)
By Nick Creely
REGION rivals Dandenong and Casey-South Melbourne went head-to-head on Saturday in a Twenty20 at Shepley Oval, with the Panthers proving far too strong for a fighting Swans outfit.
With the Panthers on a roll and sitting atop the ladder, and the Swans looking to bounce back after a few disappointing rounds, it seemed early on that a smashing was on the cards.
The Swans were sent in to bat, and despite remaining steady in the first five overs, just couldn’t gain any momentum with the bat.
James Pattinson (1/9) was fast and electric, and combined with Callum Parkinson (2/28), Adam McMaster (2/17) and Brett Fairbanks (2/14), restricted the Swans to just 111 off their 20 overs.
Batting woes continued to plague the Swans, who went from 1/50 to 5/55 in the space of four overs, but were able to salvage something as Michael Wallace (17) and Dylan Hadfield (17) provided some late fireworks.
Dev Pollock (24) top-scored for the Swans, but had very little support in the top six.
With a small total to defend, the Swans couldn’t have done much more, and applied some great heat with the ball, but eventually the class of the Panthers prevailed, as Pattinson (37) and Brett Forsyth (37) combined for 63-runs to see them home.
Spearhead Nathan Lambden (0/15) and Brendan Rose (2/19) bowled tightly, while Dylan Hadfield was also impressive.
Dandenong then saluted with another victory on Sunday, this time off a monumental 137 from James Pattinson.
More notably known as an express paceman, Pattinson has shown some great signs with the bat in his return from injury, knocking together scores off 66, 44, 37 and 15 this season.
The stunning knock against last year’s runners-up Ringwood, which came off just 62 balls, lifted the Panthers to a dominant 4/204 off their 20 overs.
UK recruit Callum Parkinson was full of praise for Pattinson, lauding his maturity and ability to lift the team.
“We were 3/15 – he showed great character along with Nano (James Nanopoulos), who played another great supporting knock,” he said.
“I was actually in at seven, and I already had my pads on ready to bat.
“But for Jimmy to bat the way he did, it just shows how much time he has – he’s a clean striker of the ball, and it was just a well-timed innings that was paced so well.
“He took his time initially, and once he had his eye in, there was no stopping him.”
But the Rams fought hard with the bat, scoring 5/167, but ultimately stood no chance in running down the imposing total.
Panthers quartet James Nanopoulos (1/17), Justin Butterfield (1/25), Adam McMaster (1/24) and James Pattinson (2/25) wore the Rams down with the ball, with Pattinson once again starring in front of his beloved Shepley crowd.
Parkinson said the weekend’s performance was a great sign of the team solidarity that is emerging amongst the group.
“We put in two really good performances, and obviously against two sides that we knew could get us in Twenty20,” he said.
“It is very pleasing that we walked away from the weekend with two wins.
“We have a real luxury that Jimmy is bowling for us now, and as a bowling group, to keep them too 111, it was a good effort.
“As a collective, we all kind of pulled our weight, and too have Jimmy leading the attack, and the likes of Nano chipping in, along with myself and Macca (Adam McMaster), it was a great effort.
“It was important that we adapted quickly to the conditions, and we’re lucky we have a lot of guys with a lot of experience in this format.
“The blend of youth and experience is great – the young lads obviously love Twenty20 cricket, so we were well prepared.”
The Panthers will now face Northcote and Essendon in next weekend’s Twenty20 double-header, as they look to further cement their standings as the competition’s ladder leaders.
With a lot of positives to take out of Saturday’s performance against Dandenong, the Swans then headed to face other cross-town rivals Frankston at AH Butler Oval, who have endured a wretched start to the season at the bottom of the ladder.
But unfortunately, a lack of intensity with the ball, despite a positive start, cost the Swans from ever being in the game.
The Heat elected to bat, and Nathan Lambden struck relatively early, removing dangerous opener Liam Tonkin (21), who was caught off a miscued pull-shot.
There was plenty of feeling between the two, who exchanged several words throughout Tonkin’s short stay at the crease.
But that’s where things started to go a little pear-shaped, as veteran Luke Walker (61no) and Matthew Gapes (49) put together a vital 78-run partnership that steered the Heat to 3/157.
The last over was particular damaging, as Chris McCormick (16no) and Walker smashed 18 runs, including two sixes off the bowling of Leigh Diston, who couldn’t quite get his length right.
Brendan Rose (1/29) was probably the pick of the bowlers again, while spinner Cameron Dinger (0/24) did well despite being heavily attacked by the Heat batsman.
And from that energy zapping last over, the Swans never really recovered, and despite a mid-pitch altercation between Dylan Hadfield and Heat spearhead Ben Ashkenazi, who wasn’t too happy about being run into in his follow through, there was a clear lack of intensity about the run-chase.
The chase itself started off in solid fashion, as Ryan Eaton and Dev Pollock hit a few early boundaries on the lightning quick surface.
But when Ashkenazi removed Eaton for just 8, wickets started to tumble, and with it, the run-rate plummeted.
Some late resistance from Michael Wallace (30no), who hit some expansive and inventive shots, and Dylan Hadfield (29), lifted the Swans to 6/139 off their 20 overs.
Billy Humphrey (2/16) and Brodie Symons (2/28) were excellent with the ball in the middle-overs, while Ashkenazi (1/36) bowled with electric pace and aggression.
The Swans will be looking to get back on the winners board, and will tackle St Kilda and Footscray Edgewater next week.
