As the Falcons prepare for the Vitality Blast quarter-finals, we take a look at some of the biggest moments from their run to the knockout stage.
Derbyshire will face Gloucestershire on Saturday 7 September at Bristol, aiming to secure a place at Finals Day for the first time ever, after claiming seven wins during a thrilling north group campaign.
1: The opening win over Yorkshire.
The saying ‘start as you mean to go on’ certainly applied when the Falcons met Yorkshire at Queen’s Park, Chesterfield for their Vitality Blast opener.
Derbyshire were aiming for a fifth-straight win over the Vikings, and a Ravi Rampaul maiden in the second over set the tone for things to come.
Having restricted the visitors to 164-8 from their 20 overs, Billy Godleman took control. The Falcons skipper smashed 70 from 56 balls to lead Derbyshire to a five wicket victory.
2: Starting August with a bang.
Despite winning their opening fixture, Derbyshire struggled to build momentum throughout July, losing to Birmingham Bears, Notts Outlaws and Worcestershire Rapids.
August began with a trip to face Northants Steelbacks in front of the Sky cameras, and the Falcons made sure to start the month in the best possible way.
The hosts batted first, but were pegged back by the in-form Ravi Rampaul who took 3-17 in the match, although half-centuries from Josh Cobb (84) and Adam Rossington (50) helped them set a winning target of 181 to win.
Derbyshire’s top-order consistently scored runs throughout the group stage, and this game was just another instance of it, as Luis Reece smashed 60, while Wayne Madsen’s unbeaten 59 saw the Falcons to their second win of the campaign with two overs to spare.
3: Beating the reigning champions.
Buoyed by the confidence of beating Yorkshire at Headingley, the Falcons hosted reigning champions, Worcestershire Rapids at The Pattonair County Ground during their hat-trick of home fixtures.
In this one, Derbyshire batted first and the opening duo of Billy Godleman (92) and Reece (51) started the match strongly and continued throughout the innings to post 135 for the first wicket.
Madsen (18) and Leus du Plooy (10) finished the innings unbeaten as the hosts set the Rapids a total of 182 to win the match.
Matt Critchley claimed four wickets, including those of Martin Guptill (45) and Callum Ferguson (37) as the visitors managed just 161-7 from their 20 overs for Derbyshire to win by 20 runs.
4: Bouncing back against Northants.
A heavy defeat to Leicestershire two days after the win over Worcestershire had dented Derbyshire’s hopes of qualifying for the quarter-finals.
An abandonment at Trent Bridge, and a return to red-ball cricket meant that more than a week had passed when the Falcons took to the field to face Northants Steelbacks in Derby.
With three matches scheduled in the space of four days over the bank holiday weekend, Derbyshire were in no mood to hang around, and a double-wicket maiden from Fynn Hudson-Prentice and 3-13 from Alex Hughes stopped the visitors from scoring more than 100 runs, while Ravi Rampaul claimed his 18th wicket of the competition, the most by a Derbyshire player in a single T20 campaign.
Needing 101 to win, Godleman (28 nout out) and Madsen (51 not out) put on the first of three-consecutive partnerships of 50 or more for the second wicket as the Falcons secured a nine-wicket win.
5: Booking a knockout spot.
Having followed their win over Northants with another nine-wicket win over Leicestershire Foxes, Derbyshire knew that a win in their final group game would confirm a place in the quarter-finals.
A trip to Emirates Old Trafford to face a Lancashire side who were unbeaten at home seemed a tough task, but Dominic Cork’s side rose to the occasion once again.
Batting first, Godleman (57) and Madsen (69) each brought up their fourth half-centuries of the competition, meaning that the top-order managed a combined 14 fifties across 12 innings.
The visitors made 162-3 from their 20 overs, but Lancashire started their innings in the worst possible way when Alex Davies was dismissed by Logan van Beek with his second ball.
Ravi Rampaul claimed two wickets in consecutive balls to shift momentum in Derbyshire’s favour and, despite a half-century from Liam Livingstone, the bowler’s 21st T20 wicket of the campaign confirmed an 11-run win and a place in the knockout stages.
Tickets for the quarter-final against Gloucestershire are on general sale now via the Gloucestershire CCC website.
150th Anniversary Membership! Join Derbyshire County Cricket Club for just £150 in 2020 as the club celebrates it’s 150th Anniversary. But be quick, the exclusive price is only available until 30 September.
