Dernbach takes three but Falcons lose

The debuting Jade Dernbach took 3-23, but the Falcons fell to a 14-run defeat to Worcestershire Rapids at The Incora County Ground.

Daryl Mitchell became the first Worcestershire player to take 100 T20 wickets to help his side defend 167 for 6 which was built around Brett D’Oliveira’s 43 and 37 from 21 balls by Ross Whiteley.

Dernbach quickly made his mark, using his experience to deny scoring opportunities and remove Riki Wessels.

Wessels chipped to mid on after scoring 17 and after ending the powerplay on 54 for 1, the Rapids unluckily lost Jake Libby run out when Matt Critchley deflected a D’Oliveira straight drive into the stumps.

D’Oliveira and Ben Cox found it hard to find the ropes against tight bowling and the pressure told when D’Oliveira drove Critchley low to cover with only one run coming from the leg-spinners’ third over.

The discipline of Derbyshire’s bowling had kept Worcestershire in check with the first six coming in the 15th over when Whiteley drove Mattie McKiernan back over his head.

Whiteley pulled Logan van Beek for two fours before lofting Critchley over long on for six but fell to a superb running catch by van Beek at deep midwicket off the last ball of the 17th over.

It was a big wicket as Dernbach and Fynn Hudson-Prentice restricted Worcestershire to 20 off the last three overs.

Luis Reece drilled Dylan Pennington over long off for six but Harry Came was badly dropped at deep midwicket by Ed Barnard on 10.

The Falcons plundered poor bowling before Came was bowled for 21 swinging at Charlie Morris off the last ball of the powerplay which ended on 57 for 1.

Mitchell and Sodhi slowed the run flow and took two wickets in consecutive overs with Reece lbw to Sodhi before Leus du Plooy edged a reverse sweep to give Mitchell his landmark victim.

Derbyshire needed a big over and Wood delivered in the 16th, driving and cutting Sodhi for three fours.

But Critchley swung Barnard to deep midwicket and when Charlie Morris took two wickets in the penultimate over, Derbyshire’s chase was up.