Dandenong allrounder James Nanopoulos snares seven wickets against Geelong
But the Cats hit back through Dom McGlinchey to have the panthers wobbling at stumps at Shepley Oval.
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It was the “Nano’’ show.
And then it was a struggle for Dandenong as Geelong struck back on day one of the first two-day match of the season at Shepley Oval on Saturday.
After being bowled out for 155 in 51.5 overs, the Cats had Dandy 6-54 when rain intervened and brought an early close, Dom McGlinchey grabbing five wickets to leave the game on a bat’s edge.
Panthers skipper Tom Donnell will be a key figure when the match resumes.
Making his first appearance of the season after recovering from surgery in September, Donnell batted through to stumps to be 27 not out, former international Suraj Randiv (3no) keeping him company.
Geelong’s thrust in the 21 overs it could bowl came after a superb haul from Dandenong stalwart James Nanopoulos.
Last weekend “Nano’’ had been clattered around in the one-dayers against Northcote (4-61 off 10 overs) and Casey South Melbourne (0-52 off nine). This from a bowler who is customarily harder to hit than a wasp.
Saturday’s conditions suited his medium pace and he captured a career-best 7-43 off 15.5 overs, in the process lifting his First XI aggregate to 299.
Pretty soon he’ll pass Roger Gill’s club record of 313 wickets (Gill played at Waverley, which 30 years ago merged with Dandenong to become Waverley-Dandenong).
Nanopoulos counted the wickets of prolific Cat Eamonn Vines (LBW), Hayden Butterworth (bowled), rising star Thomas Jackson (bowled) and first-class man Tim Ludeman (LBW) as four of his victims. In fact, he needed no assistance in six of his wickets.
Dandenong coach Nick Speak said Nanopoulos was outstanding.
“He’s been bowling with injury — yesterday was the first time he’s bowled without strapping on his wrist — and he was solid from the start,’’ he said.
“He got key players out. He kept rolling. It was great to see.’’
From his view behind the stumps, keeper Jacques Augustin thought Nanopoulos bowled “superbly … enough in the wicket but put it in the right spots consistently — a couple of stumps went cartwheeling and (he) was probably unlucky probably not to get eight or nine’’.
Nanopoulos had Dandenong on top, but McGlinchey rattled through the best of its batting to put the Cats in charge.
Jared Bailey got the visitors started when he knocked over champion opener Brett Forsyth for two.
Then McGlinchey picked up Comrey Edgeworth (4), LJ Edwards (10), Ed Newman (0), Nanopoulos (2) and Zac Grundmann-Perera (0).
Former Caulfield Sub-District player Grundmann-Perera was called up to the First XI to replace spinner Akshat Buch, who dislocated his shoulder in last week’s loss to Casey South Melbourne.
The Panthers will pick up the reply needing 102 and with Peter Cassidy, Augustin and Jake Thomas to follow seventh-wicket pair Donnell and Randiv.
But they’ll need more than a slice of luck on a pitch producing variable bounce and pace.