Shreck leads way for Foxes
Mon 12 Sep 2016
Derbyshire versus Leicestershire, Specsavers County Championship, Day 1:
SCORECARD | Available through ESPN Cricinfo HERE
INTERVIEW | Mark Cosgrove spoke to BBC Radio Leicester's Richard Rae after play, the interview is HERE
HIGHLIGHTS | The highlights of the first day are available HERE
REPORT | Harvey Hosein posted a career-best 79 not out to hold up Leicestershire’s charge on the first day of the Specsavers County Championship game at the 3aaa County Ground.
The evergreen Charlie Shreck led the way with 3-67 as County reduced Derbyshire to 177-6 before the hosts recovered to post 282-8 from 84.2 overs.
‘Keeper Hosein played an important role in three consecutive partnerships worth 35, 38 and an unbroken 32 before bad light brought play to a halt shortly before 5pm.
The floodlights had been on for most of the afternoon but conditions noticeably deteriorated as the final session wore on, umpires Jeff Evans and Graham Lloyd having no choice but to take the players from the field.
Leicestershire showed three changes to the side that lost to Sussex in their last outing, including the introduction of teenager Harry Dearden for his first-class debut. Rob Sayer and Richard Jones joined Dearden in the XI in place of Lewis Hill, Ben Raine and Zak Chappell.
Mark Cosgrove decided against a coin toss and the Leicestershire players took to the field wearing black armbands in tribute to club legend Ken Higgs, who sadly passed away last week.
Clint McKay struck the first blow at the end of the seventh opener, angling one in to trap captain Billy Godleman (9) on the crease.
The skipper then made an interesting move, introducing off-spinner Sayer to bowl the eighth over of the innings, before McKay nearly made a second breakthrough.
Godleman’s opening partner Ben Slater drove uppishly to Richard Jones, who had shared the new ball with the Victorian, but the chance went to ground at backward point.
Cosgrove continued to shuffle his attack around, including the introduction of Neil Dexter and Shreck in tandem, and the latter struck with his first delivery from the Pavilion End. Another drive in the air accounted for Slater (27), Mark Pettini safely taking the catch at mid-off with the score at 40.
Hughes and Wayne Madsen got stuck in and took the score to 78-2 from 31 overs when lunch arrived, the batsmen going in on 29 and 11 respectively.
The duo continued to frustrate the visiting attack in the first phase of the afternoon session, being particularly severe on anything that presented the opportunity to work off the pads.
The third wicket stand yielded 84 but Derbyshire had a wobble as they lost both set batsmen in quick succession. Madsen worked hard to get to 38 but could do little about a Jones snorter that had an ideal amount of bounce and movement to take the outside edge on its way to Ned Eckersley, the first of four catches for the gloveman.
Hughes continued his fine form by progressing to 50 from 102 balls in an innings that contained five fours. He went on to punch Shreck for a further boundary through extra with a glorious stroke but the seamer exacted revenge before the 47th over was out.
The number three nicked through to Eckersley and Shreck would soon claim a third wicket as Neil Broom (15) pushed forward and edged to Angus Robson at first slip. It was again a case of Shreck reacting impressively as the previous ball had seen Broom play a terrific pick-up shot for six.
Hosein immediately looked the part with a couple of excellent strokes through mid-on but Leicestershire claimed a second bowling point before tea as debutant Wood (8) saw his off stump disturbed by a Dexter delivery that nipped away off the seam.
Derbyshire went in at 177-6 and nearly lost a seventh wicket in the 68th over as Sayer put down a caught and bowled chance when Hosein was on 32.
The off-spinner did not have to wait too long to make his mark, Tom Milnes gloving to Eckersley in the 72nd over after making a useful 19.
Hosein struck a couple of fours down to the vacant third man boundary as he progressed to a 90-ball 50 (7x4) and the batsman went on to record his highest first-class score.
He lost another partner as Tony Palladino (12) became the latest victim of Eckersley, Dexter striking for a second time today, before receiving more good support from Callum Parkinson (6 not out).
The ‘keeper survived for a second time, this time an edge off McKay not being snapped up in the cordon, just before Messrs Evans and Lloyd called a halt to play with conditions becoming increasingly gloomy.
Bowling figures for Leicestershire: McKay 14.2-3-40-1, Jones 15-2-45-1, Sayer 13-1-49-1, Dexter 19-3-60-2, Shreck 19-3-67-3, Cosgrove 4-1-14-0.
