Statistical Preview: Yorkshire Vikings

Finally, after a gap of 750 days, Derbyshire return to Queen’s Park, Chesterfield, to face Yorkshire in their seventh group game in the Royal London Cup. Heritage Officer David Griffin previews the match and looks at the statistical highlights of the past.

This game will be the 70th scheduled meeting between the counties; of the previous 69 Derbyshire have won 18, Yorkshire 44, with four Abandoned, and 5 No Results. Additionally, two games were tied, at Derby in 2008 and at Headingley in 2019.

One of the more farcical matches actually turned into two – in 1991 at Chesterfield – when a 40-over Refuge Assurance League match began with Yorkshire posting 57-1 off 10.1 overs before heavy rain arrived.

In an era before Duckworth Lewis Stern, an available option in one day matches – seemingly ridiculous today – was to cancel the game, essentially class it as No Result, and start again; which is what umpires Merv Kitchen and Nigel Plews did.

So, after a lengthy mopping up operation, the second game began, this time with 10 overs per side.

Derbyshire, having lost the toss, scored 105-5 with Peter Bowler (30) and Mohammad Azharuddin (29*) the main contributors. Most spectators considered this a challenging total and when Yorkshire were 49-3 off 6 overs it looked like a winning total.

But Phil Robinson made a superb 57 not out, and with 19 runs scampered and hammered off the last over – the visitors needed only the first 5 balls – Yorkshire got home despite losing three batsmen, all run out for nought.

Derbyshire’s highest team score is 334-8 at Leeds in 2017, made on a day when Yorkshire recorded their highest total of 349-7, while Derbyshire’s lowest in a complete game is 87 all out in a John Player League match at Scarborough in 1973, and Yorkshire’s lowest is 117 all out in the same competition at Huddersfield in 1978.

Seven Derbyshire players have made centuries against Yorkshire with Wayne Madsen’s 112 at Headingley in 2017 being the highest, while Billy Godleman’s hundred on the same ground in 2019 came from only 59 balls with his 107 including eight fours and six sixes. It is the second-fastest one day hundred ever scored for Derbyshire and the fourth fastest in any format.

The other centurions are Chris Adams, Kim Barnett, Martin Guptill, Ben Slater and Chris Taylor. Taylor’s hundred came on his one day debut for the county at Headingley in 2006, and only Guptill has also made a debut hundred in this form of the game.

Derbyshire’s highest one day partnership against Yorkshire is 158 for the third wicket between Adams and Vince Clarke at Derby in 1997.

Only two bowlers have taken five wickets in an innings, Colin Tunnicliffe (5-24) at Derby in 1981 and Ravi Rampaul (5-48) on the same ground in 2018.

Watch Derbyshire in the Royal London Cup!

50-over cricket returns to Derbyshire this month, with tickets on sale now for all home games, including the local derby against Nottinghamshire at The Incora County Ground and the fixture against Yorkshire Vikings at Queen’s Park, Chesterfield.