Derbyshire entertain Lancashire at The 3aaa County Ground in their final home game in the North Group in their 75th scheduled fixture between the sides in limited overs matches.
Heritage Officer, David Griffin, looks at the statistical background to the game.
No other county has provided the opposition more often for Derbyshire in List A cricket, having first met at Old Trafford in the quarter final of the inaugural Gillette Cup in 1963, a game which the hosts won by five wickets.
Lancashire have invariably had the upper hand in these encounters, winning 42 matches, while Derbyshire have won 21, with the other games either abandoned or designated as ‘No Result’. Indeed, Derbyshire last beat Lancashire in this form of the game in 2008 at Derby, when Steve Stubbings (95 not out) and Chris Rogers (94) inspired their side to a 100-run win. Derbyshire’s 288-5 that day remains their highest innings score against Lancashire.
However, one of the finest moments in Derbyshire’s history occurred when Lancashire were the opponents, in the Benson & Hedges Cup Final at Lord’s in July 1993.
Going into the game without an overseas players following an injury to Ian Bishop, Lancashire were hot favourites and regarded as the one-day cup kings.
Wasim Akram headed their roster of stars which also included Michael Atherton, Neil Fairbrother and Phillip DeFreitas and when Fairbrother won the toss and asked Derbyshire to bat, their supporters worst fears were realised as Barnett, Bowler, Morris and Adams were all dismissed in the first hour to leave them on 66-4.
Dominic Cork, who had previously produced several eye-catching performances and was widely expected to play international cricket, then produced one of the finest innings ever witnessed in a Lord’s final.
Along with O’Gorman and Krikken, Cork rebuilt the innings, pulling and cutting anything short, and audaciously walking outside his off stump to flick two middle stump deliveries from the great Akram to the legside boundary for 4 off the last two balls of the innings.
252 was still seen as no more than a par score, and at 184-4, Lancashire would have expected to cruise home. Allan Warner, with 3-31 off 11 overs, removed Titchard, Lloyd and the dangerous Wasim Akram, and Ole Mortensen bowled his 11 overs for just 41 runs.
Neil Fairbrother was regarded as one of the finest finishers in one day cricket and the feeling amongst Derbyshire supporters was that he would have to be dismissed if Derbyshire were to prevail.
In the event, that didn’t happen, the left-hander ending on 87 not out, but Frank Griffith, the only Derbyshire player of the 11 never to receive his County Cap, and only playing because of Bishop’s absence, wrote his name into Derbyshire folklore with a marvellous final over. Lancashire required 11 runs to win but fell 6 runs short as Derbyshire supporters flooded onto the Lord’s outfield to see their heroes collect the trophy.
There have been three hundreds scored for Derbyshire, Kim Barnett scoring two (111 at Derby in 1982 and 112 not out at Old Trafford in 1997) and Dean Jones the other (100 not out at Old Trafford in 1996).
Five bowlers have taken 5 wickets in a match against Lancashire; Mike Hendrick (5-30 in 1976), Kim Barnett (5-32 in 1996) Steve Oldham (5-37 in 1982), Dominic Cork (5-49 in 1996) and Tony Palladino (5-49 in 2014).
Royal London One-Day Cup is back at The 3aaa County Ground! Derbyshire will host four 50-over fixtures in May and June. Buy your match tickets in advance & save.
Derbyshire vs Lancashire Lightning – Sunday 3 June
