Shiv Thakor produced a fine all-round performance to help Derbyshire finish their Royal London One-Day Cup season in style with a 49-run win over Worcestershire at The 3aaa County Ground.
Thakor top-scored with 68 as Derbyshire posted 234-8 from their 50 overs before returning 3-37 to help bowl the visitors out for 181.
Scott Elstone also scored his first List A half-century for the Club whilst Wes Durston hit a quick-fire 41 at the top of the order to help boost the hosts’ total out the reach of Worcestershire.
The victory is Derbyshire’s fourth of the campaign and means they finish just one point short of qualification for the quarter-final stages.
A bright start led by Durston meant that Derbyshire completed the 10-over powerplay on 52-1 with Durston securing 37 of those runs and Billy Godleman the one man out for 13.
Derbyshire’s captain had an unfortunate end when he was run out by Alex Hepburn, backing up a Tillakaratne Dilshan drive which was diverted onto the stumps with Durston having scored 41 from 39 balls.
Two more wickets in quick succession to remove Wayne Madsen without scoring and Dilshan for 14 put Derbyshire in the perilous position of 76-4 in the 19th over.
Thakor and Elstone managed to steady the ship for Derbyshire, seeing of the significant threat of Saeed Ajmal to put on a half-century partnership and help get their side out of trouble before the partnership was broken on 93.
#HIGHLIGHTS: Watch as @thakor57 stars in #RLODC win over Worcestershire at #The3aaaCountyGround #DERvWOR #P2bDhttps://t.co/Olc4cwopYC
— Derbyshire CCC (@DerbyshireCCC) August 19, 2015
That was not before Elstone reached his first List A half-century in a Derbyshire shirt from 65 balls and the wicket of his partner could not stop Thakor scoring a first Falcons fifty in List A cricket of his own from 73 balls.
Thakor batted on until the penultimate over until he was caught for 68 but Matt Critchley added useful late runs to finish unbeaten on 22 as Derbyshire posted 234-8 from their allotted overs.
A tight start by Derbyshire opening bowlers Mark Footitt and Ben Cotton was rewarded in the 7th over when the former got the first breakthrough of the innings, bowling Richard Oliver for 12.
A short rain delay meant that two overs were lost from the chase and the visitor’s targets was reduced to 231.
Upon the restart, Thakor took a wicket during his first over of the match as he has done on numerous occasions this season. He found the thinnest of edges from Tom Kohler-Cadmore for Tom Poynton to catch smartly stood up to the stumps.
The next wicket fell when Joe Clarke hit Thakor straight to Elstone, set off for a run that was never there and was duly run out by Elstone for six with Worcestershire on 51-3 in the 17th over.
The Falcons had to wait another ten overs before the next wicket fell. Alex Gidman could only chip Alex Hughes straight to Durston at mid-off and he had to depart for 15 before the score had reached three-figures.
Former Derbyshire all-rounder Ross Whiteley came and went quickly for the visiting side, scoring 10 before hitting Durston out to Matt Critchley on the square-leg boundary. Durston quickly followed that up with the wicket of Tom Fell for 46 as he too was caught in the deep.
Elstone secured his second run out of the innings when Brett D’Oliveira was out for five with Worcestershire in all sorts of trouble on 117-7 in the 36th over.
Any threat of a remarkable fightback was averted when Ed Barnard was caught by Madsen out in the deep off Footitt for 30 and Alex Hepburn was out to an incredible catch by Alex Hughes off Thakor for 32.
Thakor took the final wicket of Ajmal to return figures of 3-37 and help his side to a victory by 49 runs to round of the Royal London One-Day Cup campaign.
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