Wells gets Foxes close at Falcons

RESULT | Royal London One-Day Cup game 3: Derbyshire Falcons 211 for 9 beat Leicestershire Foxes 206 for 7 by 5 runs

SCORECARD | Available through ESPN Cricinfo

HIGHLIGHTS | In-play highlights are available throughout the 2018 season

POINTS | Derbyshire Falcons 2, Leicestershire Foxes 0

REPORT | Tom Wells again batted brilliantly but Leicestershire Foxes suffered a narrow Royal London One-Day Cup defeat after a thrilling finish in a rain-affected game against Derbyshire Falcons.

India international Varun Aaron bowled with good pace and bounce at the 3aaa County Ground, and returned figures of 4 for 31 as the Falcons put 211 for 9 on the board in a match reduced to 33 overs per side.

Openers Ned Eckersley and Paul Horton shared 58 inside 11 overs before the Falcons took the pace off to positive effect. All seven wickets fell to spin duo Matthew Critchley and Wayne Madsen, and Luis Reece, who bowled off a seamer’s run-up but delivered plenty of cutters.

The target was 73 off 37 balls, 24 off the final over, and six off the final ball as Wells hammered an unbeaten 49 off 28 deliveries in an entertaining eighth wicket stand with Callum Parkinson.

But despite the duo's very best efforts, the Foxes came up agonisingly short as Ravi Rampaul bowled a dot off the last ball of the game.

Heavy rain meant a delayed start but the Derbyshire CCC groundstaff worked hard to ensure that play was able to get underway at 2pm.

The revised playing conditions were as follows: powerplays set at seven overs, 20 overs and six overs, three bowlers permitted to bowl a maximum of seven overs, and two bowlers able to bowl six overs.

Leicestershire Foxes made a change to the team that lost to Notts Outlaws with Lewis Hill coming in for Michael Carberry. Horton won the toss and elected to field on an overcast afternoon. 

There was an all-action start as Ben Slater hit a quickfire 29 (18b) before departing in the fifth over when pulling Gavin Griffiths to Parkinson at short fine-leg.

No. 3 Reece (4, 5b) fell to the same stroke and bowler, although this time the batsman perished to a catch by Hill at deep mid-wicket, while Madsen (12, 17b) guided a quick Aaron delivery high to Ben Raine at third man.

The fourth wicket arrived with the score at 92 when Critchley (6, 13b) played Parkinson on to his wicket. A stand of 71 developed between captain Billy Godleman, who progressed to 50 off 49 balls at the end of the 19th over after hitting his fifth four, and Gary Wilson. 

All-rounder Neil Dexter then collected a couple of useful wickets; Godleman (64, 64b) feathering an attempted sweep that Eckersley held standing up to the wicket, while Horton took a superb diving catch at cover to dismiss Alex Hughes (0, 1b).

Aaron ensured the Foxes ended well; he yorked Wilson (49, 51b), ended Daryn Smit’s cameo of 30 (20b), courtesy of a good tumbling catch by Griffiths at long-leg, and enticed Hardus Viljoen (1, 3b) into lofting to Tom Wells at long-on.

Horton and Eckersley set a solid platform by scoring 37 from the first powerplay, with the skipper playing one particularly attractive cover drive for four.

A change of tack proved effective for the Falcons. The leg-spin of Critchley accounted for the openers as Eckersley (32, 29b) drove to deep extra cover and Horton (24, 43b) carved to backward point. 

Reece then trapped Cosgrove (13, 22b) in front before taking a return catch to dismiss Hill (3, 5b) to leave the Foxes were 94 for 4 in the 20th over.

Off-spinner Madsen also bowled a useful spell and the target was 101 off the final ten overs. Dexter struck a maximum over long-on off Reece in the 24th but perished for 14 (15b) attempting a similar shot off Madsen in the next over.

The Foxes lost their sixth wicket when Raine (0, 2b) was bowled by Reece and Critchley then returned to have Colin Ackermann (41, 41b) held at the wicket.

The target was well over ten an over when Wells and Parkinson joined forces but the young duo combined to devastating effect to get the team close.

Wells hit four boundaries and two huge maximums, and Parkinson posted 15* off 14 balls, as they shared an unbroken stand of 67 in the final 6.1 overs. 

Unfortunately it was not quite enough as Derbyshire’s bowlers just about held on to record a third win in four matches.

TEAM | Horton (capt), Eckersley (wk), Ackermann, Cosgrove, Hill, Dexter, Wells, Raine, Parkinson, Griffiths, Aaron. 

FIGURES | Griffiths 4-0-29-2, Raine 7-0-38-0, Parkinson 5-0-34-1, Aaron 7-0-31-4, Ackermann 3-0-23-0, Dexter 7-0-46-2.

PHOTO | Thanks to Nathan Stirk of Getty Images for the photo of Tom Wells batting.

* Our next Royal London One-Day Cup home fixture is the Family Funday against Yorkshire Vikings on Sunday, May 27. All tickets are available for just £1 – please come down and enjoy a day of fun activities and cricket. Tickets can be purchased HERE