Swans sing a winning song

By Marc McGowan
HALLELUJAH!
Casey-South Melbourne finally picked up its first points of the summer on the final day of the home-and-away season at Shepley Oval on Saturday.
The Swans’ six-wicket defeat of Dandenong ended an underwhelming summer that promised so much with the arrival of new coach Mark Ridgway and a host of star recruits.
The victory also spared Casey-South Melbourne the indignity of becoming the first Premier Cricket club since North Melbourne in 1998-99 to fail to post a win for the entire season.
Overnight batsmen Jake Best (42 runs off 155 balls) and Tom Hussey saw the Swans past the Panthers’ meagre total of 130 after the visitors started the day only 12 runs behind.
Dandenong that needed an outright success to have any hope of making the finals, struck twice soon after to bring some interest back into the contest.
Hussey was run out with the score on 138 before medium-pacer Matt Chasemore removed new batsman Tim Dale five runs later.
But Best and Brett Watkins (55 off 78) snuffed out the Panthers’ hopes with a 60-run partnership for the seventh wicket.
All-rounder Watkins’ innings was his maiden half-century at first XI level.
Casey-South Melbourne’s tail hung around long enough to help the side reach 240 and give it a 110-run first-innings lead.
Brent Fairbanks (4/59) was the pick of the hosts’ attack, while teenager James Wilcock (3/47) continues to impress.
Swans skipper Craig Entwistle surprisingly agreed to end the match more than three hours early despite his team having a slender chance of an outright triumph.
First-year Casey-South Melbourne coach Ridg-way did not get to watch his players’ overdue success.
Doctors removed his gall bladder last Wednesday and – due to complications – he wound up spending four days, including match day, in hospital.
Ridgway still found time to be disappointed that his bowlers did not have a second crack at Dandenong.
“I would have played it a little bit differently.
“We deserved to have another go at them with the ball and I know the bowlers were keen to get stuck in,” he said.
“It would have been nice to roll them again, but I wasn’t there, so I couldn’t get involved in the decision-making process.
“We had three quicks ready to go who wanted to get some more wickets, on a wicket that’s been uncovered for most of the week and was a bit damp and green.
“We could have got the 10 points – you never know what could have happened – but we got the six points and that’s the main thing.”