Derbyshire Falcons were beaten by four wickets in their final NatWest T20 Blast fixture of 2015 as Worcestershire Rapids recorded victory with three balls to spare at The 3aaa County Ground.
After losing three early wickets, contributions from Billy Godleman (33) and Wes Durston (32) plus a valuable partnership of 39 between Tom Knight and Alex Hughes guided Derbyshire to 149-8 from their 20 overs.
Despite Alex Hughes (2-21) and Nathan Rimmington (2-34) claiming two wickets apiece, Worcestershire reached their victory target of 150 for the loss of six wickets after 19.3 overs to seal a home quarter-final fixture.
Worcestershire begun brightly with the ball as Joe Leach struck twice in his first over, having Hamish Rutherford caught at slip for one before bowling Chesney Hughes for 8 to leave the visitors 11-2 after two overs.
Ed Barnard had Shiv Thakor caught at point for seven in the fifth over, but Durston and Godleman helped their side recover from 22-3 to 68-3 at the halfway stage.
Durston was dismissed in the following over for 32 as a lofted shot down the ground off the bowling of Saeed Ajmal held up in the wind and he was caught by Barnard at long-on.
Godleman began to accelerate through his innings as he hit Rapids Captain Daryl Mitchell for consecutive sixes, before he was caught at backward-point the following delivery as Derbyshire ended the 14th over on 100-5.
Ajmal removed Madsen for 18 in the following over as Tom Kohler-Cadmore took a catch in the deep, with Alex Hughes and Knight the two new batsman at the crease.
Knight was run out by Leach for 21 from the last ball of the penultimate over and Hughes was caught off the bowling of Shantry off the final delivery for 20, but the pair had added a useful partnership of 39 in the closing stages to help their side post 149-8 from their 20 overs.
Worcestershire’s openers began solidly as they put on 36 for the first wicket before Thakor got the breakthrough, with Mitchell caught at deep square-leg for 13.
Derbyshire began to apply the brakes after the powerplay through Durston and Alex Hughes, and the pressure showed as Kohler-Cadmore cut Hughes straight to Nathan Rimmington when on eight during a period when just 10 runs were scored from three overs.
Rimmington had opening batsman Richard Oliver caught at deep midwicket for 45 to leave Worcestershire requiring 69 from the last eight overs, with seven wickets in hand.
Alex Hughes had Brett D’Oliveira caught for just one, with Colin Munro clipping one straight to Thakor off the bowling of Greg Cork the following over to set up the possibility of a close finish.
Former Derbyshire man Ross Whiteley hit two sixes in his brief innings before he was bowled by Rimmington for 16 to leave the Rapids on 128-6 after 17 overs, with 22 runs required for victory.
But Leach and Ben Cox remained calm at the end and they hit the runs required with three balls to spare to bring the curtain down on Derbyshire Falcons’ NatWest T20 Blast campaign.
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