By Marcus Uhe
Brett Forsyth’s 24th hundred at senior level for Dandenong in Victorian Premier Cricket steered Dandenong to a brilliant run chase against Frankston Peninsula on Saturday afternoon to help the Panthers bank their maiden win of the summer.
It can be argued that the cricket season hasn’t begun until Forsyth raises the bat for the first time, and it didn’t take long for the player voted the best in the competition in 2023/24 to stamp his authority on a new campaign.
His 132 from 222 deliveries was the backbone of a stunning chase from Dandenong, which reeled in the Heat’s total of 310 in the 79th over.
He added 209 for the second wicket with emerging talent Dhanusha Gamage, as they took the score from 1/33 to 2/242 before Gamage lost his wicket six runs short of his century.
Coming off a breakout first season at senior level for Dandenong in which he was named in the Victorian Premier Cricket Team of the Season, Gamage is showing no signs of the dreaded ‘second-year blues’, having also made a determined 53 in round one against St Kilda.
Forsyth’s dismissal at 3/256 in the 71st over renewed hope for Frankston Peninsula, with 55 runs remaining in the pursuit for victory, but cameos from Shobit Singh and Joshua Slater helped guide the Panthers to the six points.
In just his second game for Dandenong, Singh hit a quick-fire 37 from 30 deliveries, with two sixes and three fours, and Slater 12 from 10 deliveries, including consecutive fours through the offside on the final two deliveries, to put the finishing touches on a brilliant day at Jubilee Park.
The Panthers scored at four runs per over in the chase, with a flurry of big overs to complete the effort, in which seven of the final 17 yielded nine or more runs, critical in pushing them over the line.
Earlier in the day, Frankston Peninsula added a further 29 runs in six overs to its day one total of 6/281 to set Dandenong a huge challenge.
The visitors, however, developed a reputation early last summer for chasing big totals, and proved those efforts were no fluke with Saturday’s performance.
In the corresponding round, 12 months prior, Forsyth and Gamage shared in a 237-run partnership on Gamage’s First XI debut to chase Prahran’s total of 256 at home, and backed it up the following round by chasing 320 against Kingston Hawthorn, thanks to Slater and Gamage’s 222-run stand.
Dandenong will take its winning form into round three, when it welcomes Northcote to Shepley Oval for a two-day contest.
Around the competition, a poor showing with the bat from Casey-South Melbourne saw them hang on for a draw with Ringwood at Casey Fields, and last summer’s champions, Carlton, snuck home by five runs in a huge win over Prahran.
Dandenong had a win and a loss in the women’s Vic Premier Cricket t20 competition on Sunday.
The Panthers stymied Plenty Valley’s innings at the midway point, taking 3/2 after a 65-run opening partnership laid a promising, but unfulfilled foundation.
The visitors scraped to 7/120 as Brooklyn Diwell took 2/18 and Vanchica Pathania was economical.
After losing three wickets in the first five overs, Navleen Sandhu stabilised with an unbeaten 36 to anchor the chase, while Ishita Tiwari played an explosive and matchwinning hand at number six.
Tiwari took apart the Plenty Valley attack and shifted the momentum of the game with nine boundaries in a blistering knock of 54 off 29 to help Dandenong to a six wicket victory with eight balls to spare.
Later that day, the Panthers were unable to find rhythm in their batting innings, limping to 7/98, Tiwari the only batter to pass 20.
Melbourne cruised home with 16 balls to spare and six wickets in the shed with Acacia Sutton the pick of the bowlers.
The women’s competition will next week move into its one day component, with Dandenong to open the season against Ringwood, following a 3-1 record in the t20s.
