de Bruyn ready for crunch fixture

Head Coach Pierre de Bruyn anticipates a keenly contested game as Derbyshire Falcons visit the Fischer County Ground for a vital Royal London One-Day Cup group match tomorrow (11am start).

Although both sides suffered frustration on Friday, with the Foxes collecting one point from an abandonment against Northants Steelbacks and the Falcons suffering a last-over defeat at Lancashire Lightning, both sides enter the penultimate group game with an opportunity to progress to the knockout stages.

Three teams qualify this year with the group winners automatically through for a home semi-final, while the teams in second and third progress to the quarter-finals. Those games are effectively a play-off with the victors then facing a trip to one of the divisional winners.

Durham Jets (7 points) currently occupy the final slot with Notts Outlaws and Lancashire Lightning on 6 points apiece, and Leicestershire Foxes and Derbyshire Falcons both on 5 points.

But Sunday’s fixtures see Durham face a trip to second-placed Worcestershire Rapids (9 points) while Notts and Lancashire meet at Trent Bridge. It is a scenario that means victory for either the Foxes or Falcons would keep them in the hunt while defeat ends any chances of qualification.

“Most teams have got a sniff and that makes the competition interesting for everyone,” said de Bruyn. “Sunday is a massive game for both sides as well as being a local derby.

“We’re really hungry for the game and are fresh having had some good rest following the Notts game. Our preparation has been good and we are looking forward to the challenge.

“We’re fully aware of the situation, we are at the point where every game takes the nature of a knockout tie, and we won’t leave anything in the tank.

“The team have played some good cricket in this competition, we had a blip last weekend but we are going to give it our all against Derbyshire.”

Leicestershire have made one addition to the squad for the visit of Derbyshire with fit again off-spinner Rob Sayer coming into the 15. Colin Ackermann is again named in the squad following his finger injury but Ben Raine, Neil Dexter and Richard Jones remain on the sidelines.

Sunday is a big double-header of action at the Fischer County Ground as the Foxes v Falcons is followed by the annual Varsity match, a T20 game played between Official Club Partner De Montfort University and the University of Leicester.

Anybody who brought a ticket, either in advance or on the gate, for the abandoned Northants Steelbacks game on Friday can come to watch the Foxes v Falcons free of charge. If you plan to do that, please bring along your match ticket from Friday's game when you come to the FCG on Sunday.

Northants ticket purchasers can alternatively come to another day's play in the Specsavers County Championship at the Fischer County Ground this season. Full details of our refund policy are available HERE

Foxes (from): McKay (capt), Ackermann, Ali, Chappell, Cosgrove, Delport, Eckersley, Griffiths, Hill, Klein, Parkinson, Pettini, Sayer, Sykes, Wells.