By Marcus Uhe
A difficult day with the ball has Dandenong’s back against the wall in a huge top-eight contest against Richmond in Victorian Premier Cricket.
Dandenong is six runs into a chase of 327 after Richmond’s batters piled on the pain at Shepley Oval with a dominant batting performance befitting a top four side.
Centuries for German international Matthew Montgomery and former Buckley Ridges junior Jonathan D’Rozario just metres from his junior ground were the backbone of the monster innings, rebuilding after two early strikes for James Nanopoulos.
The veteran removed openers Dan Scholz and Sam Mills in his first spell which brought D’Rozario and Montgomery together at the wicket.
The pairing added 192 for the third wicket, with Montgomery finishing on 103 and D’Rozario 135.
61 overs passed without a wicket falling, as a pair of key absentees weakened Dandenong’s bowling attack.
Noah Hurley and Vishwa Ramkumar were both sorely missed, as Jawid Khan, Matthew Wilson and Gehan Seneviratne finished wicket less for the Panthers.
Nanopoulos and fellow quick Nathan Whitford took two wickets each, with Richmond declaring six wickets down after 84 overs.
Should the Panthers chase down the imposing score line it will be the third-highest run chase in the competition this year, behind St Kilda’s of 368 against Frankston Peninsula and Melbourne’s 375 against Footscray in round 18.
It won’t be completely without precedent for the current Panthers squad, however, which chased 310 against Frankston Peninsula back in round two, and 320 against Kingston Hawthorn in round three last summer.
Sam Newell and Brett Forsyth will resume the assignment when play begins next week, with Dhanusha Gamage, Joshua Slate, Wilson and Shobit Singh all primed for big afternoons.
Dandenong could fall as low as seventh with a loss, but as high as fourth with a win, pending other results around the competition.
