Northamptonshire Steelbacks | An Action-Packed T20 Thriller

Stunning centuries, titanic totals, nail-biting chases “ Leicestershire’s Derby Day clashes with Northamptonshire rarely fails to produce enthralling episodes in T20 cricket. Ahead of this Friday’s latest instalment, we revisit five of the fixture’s most engrossing moments…

FINAL BALL TIE | Wantage Road, 21 June 2024:

You only need to rewind three weeks to recall the last absorbing contest between the two sides. A night steeped with entertainment as Rishi Patel blasted his second T20 century in as many seasons before Lewis Goldsworthy hit the final ball of the match for four to secure a tie.

Chasing 209, Patel raced out of the traps, whacking 18 off David Willey’s opening over. He clubbed 18 boundaries as his onslaught continued, reaching his hundred with a six and a four in successive Ben Sanderson deliveries to equal the Foxes' fastest ever T20 century - just 41 balls.

His dismissal on 104 swung the game back into the balance, and when Ben Cox departed off the penultimate ball, Northants were firm favourites. But a streaky boundary from all-rounder Lewis Goldsworthy on the very last delivery of the game earned a valiant point.

RECORD CHASE | Wantage Road, 4 July 2018:

Faced with a daunting task of chasing 219 in the opening game of the 2018 Blast, few gave the Foxes hope “ especially when 112 were needed from only 42 balls. Step forward, Colin Ackermann.

The all-rounder smashed 66 from 31 balls as he spearheaded the greatest chase in the Club’s history, striking five fours and four sixes to see Leicestershire over the line with two balls to spare.

The required rate had spiralled to 16-an-over with over a third of the innings remaining before Ackermann and Ben Raine “ who struck two fours and two sixes in an incredible seven-ball cameo “ peppered the boundary ropes. To sweeten the celebrations, the Foxes skipper lofted Rory Kleinveldt over long on to seal the epic victory with a six.

HIGHEST HOME SCORE | Uptonsteel County Ground, 1 July 2022:

A high-intensity clash on home soil, 2022’s meeting was memorable for multiple reasons. The first being it saw Leicestershire set their record total at Uptonsteel County Ground in T20 cricket.

Ackermann again led the way with 85 from just 44 balls, while Nick Welch (38, 21b) and Arron Lilley (29, 19b) also made quickfire runs as the Foxes posted 214/6 from their allotted overs “ eclipsing the 207 made against Lancashire in 2016.

The entertainment wasn’t finished there, however. A heated contest saw the Foxes scrape home by one run from the final ball of the match “ only the second time the Club has won by the narrowest margin - sparking pandemonium on the field and in the stands.

INGLIS INSPIRATION | Wantage Road, 20 June 2021:

The first of two T20 hundreds for Leicestershire, Josh Inglis’ unbeaten 103 set the foundations for a 34-run win against their East Midlands rivals in enemy territory in 2021.

The Aussie opener scorched 17 boundaries en route to a magnificent hundred, showing both brute power and elegance during his innings. He reached his ton in the final over with a delicate, improvised lap off Ben Sanderson, which raced away to the ropes behind square.

Callum Parkinson, Naveen-ul-Haq and Gavin Griffiths each picked up two wickets thereafter as the Foxes secured the points at Wantage Road.

KEEPING CLASS | Uptonsteel County Ground, 4 July 2014:

After singing the praises of batters and bowlers, it’s only fair to highlight the performance of Foxes wicketkeeper Niall O’Brien in the 2014 clash at Grace Road.

The Irish gloveman took an amazing FIVE catches behind the stumps to set a Leicestershire record for most dismissals in a T20 match.

Nicks off Charlie Shreck, Anthony Ireland, Scott Styris, and two off Ben Raine gave Nobby a five-fer in his own right “ even standing up to the stumps to take a sharp chance off now-England opener Ben Duckett.

With high-scoring thrillers and a fiercely-fought fracas on the field a virtual guarantee in this fixture, Friday’s Derby Day meeting with the Steelbacks is certainly one to witness.

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