Shreck reaches milestone but Madsen holds up County
Fri 7 Aug 2015
Wayne Madsen played a brilliant innings to hold up a threatening Leicestershire attack in testing conditions on the opening day of the LV=CC game at Grace Road.
Madsen’s unbeaten 164 was an appropriate mixture of careful defence and flowing strokeplay, and his effort went a long way in helping his inserted Derbyshire side post 320-8.
The skipper had some luck along the way but that was always going to be required against County’s in-form seamers on a day that was largely cloudy and humid. Madsen was dropped in the cordon on 11, saw a nick just evade second slip just before lunch and was caught off a no-ball at 54.
There were nice moments for Charlie Shreck (22-5-68-3) as he collected his 50th LV=CC wicket of the summer with his first ball of the day and Rob Sayer (16-1-61-1), who picked up his first wicket in first-class cricket.
Clint McKay returned excellent figures of 23-8-42-2 and Ben Raine (22-6-71-2) took his first-class season’s tally to 48 as County’s bowlers caused problems throughout the day.
There were three changes from the Gloucestershire defeat as Leicestershire gave a first-class debut to Sayer, Niall O’Brien came back from international duty and Andrea Agathangelou returned.
Raine struck an early blow as the game started in bright sunshine, trapping Billy Godleman (1) in front with just two runs on the board. Ben Slater (11) and Madsen worked hard to get themselves in but the introduction of Shreck was a masterstroke.
The tall seamer started the day on 49 wickets and struck first up, bowling Slater from around the wicket after the left-hander opted not to play a stroke. Shreck’s season tally could have read 51 later in the over as Madsen nicked but the chance went down at third slip.
Shreck did not have to wait long for another wicket as he again found the edge in his second over, this time seeing Tillakaratne Dilshan (4) safely pouched by Angus Robson at first slip to leave Derbyshire at 38-3.
The bowler regularly beat the bat as the cloud cover increased but Madsen and Alex Hughes came through a tricky period. Madsen was generally watchful and also came out of his shell to strike Cosgrove for four through backward point.
There was a second moment of fortune in the session for the skipper when edging Cosgrove just wide of Agathangelou at second slip to the vacant third man boundary. Madsen was 35 not out at the interval with his side at 77-3, Hughes going in on 18.
Madsen cashed in after lunch by striking three fours in the space of five overs, including pleasant shots through the covers and mid-on. Madsen put on 58 with Hughes before the latter edged McKay to Niall O’Brien. It was due reward for a probing spell of bowling from the Pavilion End and Derbyshire were now 96-4.
A nudge down to third man brought Madsen a ninth four to take him to 50 from 109 balls and the captain must have known it was going to be his day following another escape. This time an aerial stroke was taken by Agathangelou at gully but Cosgrove had disturbed the stumps in his delivery stride.
There was a big appeal for caught behind by Shreck against Wes Durston (8) in the 44th over and although he lived to tell the tale, the batsman perished in that fashion before the over was out.
Then followed a stand of 71 between Madsen and Shiv Thakor, who made 41 on his return to Grace Road. The batsman struck seven boundaries, mostly through the off-side, before departing in the penultimate over of the session as Sayer claimed his first wicket courtesy of an lbw verdict.
Derbyshire were 191-6 at tea with Madsen 15 shy of a century and two inside edges went for four just after the break as he moved ever closer to the landmark. It was registered courtesy of a single off his 203rd ball and contained 16 fours.
Another quartet of boundaries helped Madsen on to 126 before the new ball was taken and Harvey Hosein scored 12 in a useful stand of 60 before being brilliantly caught by a diving Agathangelou in the slips off McKay.
Madsen struck another three fours as he moved to 150 from 251 balls in the 90th over of the day but he lost Tony Palladino (7) in the next over, lbw to Raine at 285-8. Madsen’s boundary tally stood at 25 at stumps as he and Mark Footitt (21 not out) recorded a third batting point.
