Hill Hits Half-Century As Seconds Fall Just Short At Derbyshire
Wed 24 May 2023
By Pete Johnson
Derbyshire hosted Leicestershire at the Incora County Ground, Derby for a SET20, a 12 noon start being the order of the day. It was first at a 2nd XI game, as a Match Referee was in situ. Ian Herbert, cutting his teeth. A reappearance too of Umpire Dan Pedley, accompanied by Neil Pratt.
It was a close contest with Derbyshire getting home by 8 runs. Tom Scriven taking a hat trick for Leicestershire with the last 3 balls of the Derbyshire innings, Sam Evans and Lewis Hill both weighing in with half centuries in County’s reply.
Trialists Jack Carstens, and Trystan Kennedy, both of South African origin made their debut for Leicestershire. Lewis Hill Skippered the Foxes, won the toss, and invited Derbyshire to bat.
Leicestershire had an early success when Luis Reece (13) 9b was caught behind by Hill off the bowling of Matt Salisbury. Skipper Harry Came, and Tom Wood then added 104 for the 2nd wicket. A 50 partnership (30b) was brought up, the score on 76-1 from 9.2 overs. Came went to his 50 (6x4/1x6) 37b, the score on 90-1 from 10.5 overs. Came and Wood then reached the milestone of a 100 partnership (61b), the total on 129-1 from 14.3 overs.
Two balls later Came (70) 47b departed caught by Matt Salisbury, at long on, off the bowling of Hull. A dismissal that put Leicestershire on the map......think about it! Anuerin Donald (12) 5b was expertly caught in the deep square leg area by Zen Malik off the bowling of Roman Walker. Malik taking the speeding ball very low down. Wood went to his 50 (4x4/1x6) 36b, Derbyshire on 148-3 from 16.1 overs.
Anuj Dal (8) 5b was caught by Kennedy at deep mid wicket off Salisbury. Matty McKiernan (5) 3b caught in the same area by Scott Steel off Hull. Derbyshire began the last over, bowled by Scriven, on 175-5. The final three balls of the over brought a hat-trick for Scriven. Alex Thomson (0) 1b was caught by Carstels at cover. Nick Potts was caught in the deep cover area by Walker. Scriven then bowled Ben Aitchison with the final delivery of the innings. Scriven, whose surname suggests he could feature in as novel by Charles Dickens, certainly making it a Tale of Two Cities, in line with Charlie Dickens literature.
Only the second hat-trick I have witnessed by a Leicestershire player in the 12 seasons that I have scored for Leicestershire 2s. The other one was by a certain OH Freckingham against Essex at Chelmsford in 2014. Frecko is still of this parish, so hopefully I should be in line for a pint, should I bump into him, provided of course he has time to read this bearing in mind his extremely busy schedule.
Derbyshire 179-8 from their allotted 20 over’s. Wood (66*) 48b. Wicket takers for Leicestershire, Scriven 3-33 from 4 overs, Hull 2-28 from 4, Salisbury 2-31 from 4, and Walker 1-37 from 3.
Sam Evans and Jake Carstens opened the innings for Leicestershire, a tough baptism for Carstens facing up to Pakistan T20 International fast bowler Zaman Khan. Khan’s first two over’s only yielding six runs off the bat. Discretion prevents me from mentioning the six wides from two deliveries. Carstens (10) 14b went caught in the deep by Thomson off pace bowler George Scrimshaw. County 30-1 from 3.5 overs.
Evans and Hill then built a solid partnership that put Leicestershire in the box seat. A 50 partnership came up from 28b, when Hill launched Scrimshaw for a maximum over deep mid off, the score on 82-1 from 8.3 overs. Evans went to his 50 (8x4) 32b, when he drilled Thomson to the ropes, the score on 110-1 from 11.2 overs.
Two overs later, Hill went to his 50 (3x4/2x6) 29b, their century partnership (60b), coming from the same delivery. Leicestershire 130-1 from 13.5 overs. In the next over, Evans (63) 42b was bowled by the returning Khan. It was two in two for Khan as Scriven was caught on the third man boundary from the next delivery. Kennedy prevented a second hat-trick of the match by taking a single from the first ball he received.
Hill was shortly afterwards run out by a direct hit from his opposite number Came. Hill (65) 38b on the cusp of guiding County to victory. Leicestershire 163-4 from 18.2 overs. Leicestershire began the last over on 166-4, 14 required for victory. Scott Steel (2) 4b and Walker (2) 3b both ‘took one for the team’ sacrificial victims for Scrimshaw. Leicestershire closing on 171-6, Kennedy (17*) 18b, Derbyshire winning by eight runs.
Scrimshaw 3-27 from 4 over’s, and Khan 2-20 from 4, being the wicket takers.
A full scorecard can be viewed HERE.
