Panthers stalwart moves on

His passion will be sorely missed by the Panthers. 202622 Picture: ARJ GIESE

By Tyler Lewis

It’s the end of an era!

James Nanopoulos’ glorious tenure at the Dandenong Cricket Club has come to an end, with the electrifying all-rounder joining Victorian Premier Cricket rival Frankston Peninsula.

Nanopoulos joins old friend, Paul Boraston, who now coaches the young Heat group.

After almost two decades at Dandenong, Nanopoulos is looking forward to playing alongside a young group and the change of scenery.

“It’s the fresh start and trying to teach some young kids how to improve their game and get the best out of themselves,” he said.

“For me, get back to proving to some new faces that I can still compete and do well.

“Hopefully it will keep me pretty fresh.

“I have been at Dandenong for 17 years, I don’t really know much different.

“Obviously I go in with open eyes and ears, I’ll listen and learn to take in some new stuff.

“I guess playing against them might be a bit weird, but once we get out there it hopefully be all systems go.

“I loved my time at Dandenong, wouldn’t trade it in for anything,” Nanopoulos said.

The attacking all-rounder leaves the club after a 236-game stretch after walking through the gates of Shepley Oval as a fresh-faced 15 year old, needing to be guided along, he got exactly that in a club treasure.

“To come through and start as a kid, finish as an adult, it has been a long ride and an enjoyable one at that,” he said.

“Liz (Williamson) nurtured me through as a kid.

“She is an absolute champion, she has been a massive influence on my cricket at Dandenong.

“I couldn’t possibly thank her enough for everything she has done over the past 10 or 12 years she has been there.

“She is unbelievable,” Nanopoulos said.

As for joining his new side, Nanopoulos is linking up with a fellow exciting all-rounder in Frankston’s Brodie Symons.

“He’s a beauty! He bats, bowls, fields and has got all the skills,” he said.

“Cricket Victoria have obviously ear marked him with some potential.

“Hopefully I can teach him a few things and he can really stamp himself on the competition and then go a bit higher,” Nanopoulos said.

No player has played more Victorian Premier Cricket games with Nanopoulos than his now former captain, Tom Donnell.

Donnell expressed how big of a hole the absence of his great mate leaves, on and off the field.

“He obviously leaves a massive gap,” Donnell said.

“Not just on field, we are talking 16 to 17 seasons, it is sort of just a familiar face around the place that is gone.

“On the field he has been great, more so the familiar face around the club that everyone knows is probably going to be missed the most.

“We wish him all the best,” he said.

For a long time, but more specifically in the last two seasons – where Nanopoulos has taken 83 wickets – Donnell has had the luxury of throwing the ball to him when he needs the game to move long.

“He has been our main go-to bowler for the last few seasons, he has had a really good patch of form,” he said.

“His bowling up front with the new ball and then coming back and tying up an end – it is going to be missed.

“When he gets a wicket he sort of gets on a roll, he continues that on and not just gets one wicket, he gets a couple and puts the team in a better position.

“It is definitely going to be missed by the club, deeply, you don’t take 80 odd wickets in two seasons and easily fill that hole.

“His reliability that the team is going to miss a lot,” Donnell said.

As for Donnell, if he is to continue on next season and come up against Nanopoulos, he hinted it won’t be an unentertaining contest between bat and ball.

“It will be interesting, we have had quite a few battles at training,” he said.

“We sort of know what we can and can’t do.

“It will be interesting and something we would struggle to take seriously to be honest.

“He doesn’t bowl quick enough to drop short.

“Would look on the front foot, probably a dirty slog over mid-wicket to get on top of him, but he is probably a bit too smart for that so I would be happy to get bat on ball to start with,” Donnell joked.

Nanopoulos joins a number of Dandenong players that have left the club at the conclusion of the Victorian Premier Cricket season, but few could ever leave a bigger legacy at Shepley Oval.