Guest hits 92 as Derbyshire draw

Brooke Guest hit 92 and Wayne Madsen scored 75 as Derbyshire and Leicestershire played out a draw in their rain-affected LV= County Championship Division Two fixture. 

Colin Ackermann and captain Lewis Hill struck centuries for Leicestershire, and were followed by a fine spell of seam bowling by Chris Wright, as Leicestershire maintained their unbeaten start to the season.

No play had been possible on the previous two days, and with the pitch still relatively new and the outfield still very damp, there was no serious prospect of Hill and opposite number Leus du Plooy agreeing to set up a final day run chase for the visitors.

Instead it was a case of maximising the bonus point return, and led by Hill, whose undefeated 162 was his first-class best, Leicestershire did just that before leaving Derbyshire 48 overs of batting.

The visitors responded in kind through Brooke Guest (92) and Wayne Madsen (75), before Wright’s 4-38 helped the Foxes secure a further two bowling bonus points.

Resuming with their partnership already worth 141, Ackermann and Hill continued where they left off on Thursday. Ackermann, who had made 67 and 72 in Leicestershire’s opening match victory over Yorkshire at Headingley, looked back to his considerable best, hitting 18 fours in reaching his century off 165 balls before falling leg before to Anuj Dal.

As on day one, Derbyshire’s seamers struggled to bowl a consistently threatening line and length, with the honourable exception of Zak Chappell, whose endeavour was rewarded when he had Peter Handscomb caught at second slip – one of four catches in the innings for Madsen – and going on to pick up the wickets of Rehan Ahmed, Wright and Michael Finan to ensure Derbyshire picked up three bowling bonus points.

Hill, however, remained admirably unflustered, reaching his hundred off 211 balls, before accelerating after lunch and passing 150 for the first time in first class cricket.

With nothing to lose, Derbyshire’s batsmen went for their shots, Madsen and Guest putting on 143 for the third wicket after Wright had had Haider Ali leg before wicket. At one stage it looked as though Derbyshire might reach 300 and a second batting point of their own, but Wright came back to dismiss Madsen bowled off the inside edge, and Matt Lamb and Anuj Dal caught at slip, before the players shook hands with two overs remaining.

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