Luis Reece hit a career-best 97 not out as Derbyshire Falcons beat Lancashire Lightning by 35 runs at The 3aaa County Ground and the Derbyshire all-rounder was quick to praise a fantastic team performance.
Striking cleanly from ball one, Reece hit the unbeaten 97 off just 55 balls as the Falcons posted 211-5 batting first, their highest score in Twenty20 matches at The 3aaa County Ground.
Chasing a demanding total, the Lightning were restricted to 176-9 thanks to an excellent display from the Derbyshire bowling unit, led by Matt Henry who returned figures of 3-37 and Matt Critchley (2-16), who removed the set Karl Brown and the dangerous Jos Buttler.
“It’s nice to do it against the old boys but to come away with a win is fantastic after the week we’ve had,” said Reece. “It’s been a challenging week but we’ve come out tonight and put in a quality performance.”
“I’ve felt in great nick all year but it’s been a bit disjointed for me with injury and illness so it’s nice to have a run of games and the freedom to go out and play the way I want to play T20 cricket. Thankfully tonight I was able to put my hand up.”
He added: “We’re halfway through the tournament now and we’ve probably got half the amount of wins we need to qualify so this week is quite big for us.
“If we can get a couple of wins from these home games that will set us up quite nicely but we’ve got to keep improving because we know we can tighten up in a few areas.”
Derbyshire Falcons are back in NatWest T20 Blast action in Derby on Friday 28 July, when they face reigning champions Northants Steelbacks at The 3aaa County Ground; 7pm start.
Gary Wilson’s side ran out seven-wicket winners in the reverse fixture and will be looking to carry momentum into the game with another good crowd expected in Derby.
The three home NatWest T20 Blast matches in a week rounds off with the visit of Leicestershire Foxes on Sunday 30 July; 2.30pm start, our Family Fixture where kids go FREE.
Tickets for all NatWest T20 Blast fixtures in Derby are on sale now.
Northants Steelbacks – Fri 28 July – BUY
Leicestershire Foxes – Kids Go FREE – Sun 30 July – BUY
Notts Outlaws – Fri 4 August – LIMITED
Durham Jets – Tue 15 August – BUY
Worcestershire Rapids – Fri 18 August – BUY
NatWest T20 Blast is back this July and August. Save £4 by purchasing your matchday tickets in advance. While further discounts are available for groups of 10 or more. Buy online today to secure your place and save.
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