du Plooy delighted with big win

Derbyshire Falcons captain, Leus du Plooy, felt that staying calm and sticking to a plan was key to Derbyshire Falcons’ victory over Birmingham Bears at Edgbaston. 

The Falcons skipper scored an unbeaten 66 off just 25 balls to see his side home, after Haider Ali and Luis Reece had put on 95 runs fo the first wicket as they set off in search of a Club-record run-chase in T20 cricket.

Having had a difficult start to the campaign, du Plooy stood tall and produced a captain’s knock to secure victory, and he believes the innings highlighted the importance of staying calm under pressure.

“Personally, I needed that after a run of low scores. From the team’s perspective, it felt like we needed a win today to stay in the hunt so it was great to get over the line.

“It was a great example of the old saying that if you take it deep then anything can happen. Our openers gave us the perfect start and that’s something we identified from their innings when they probably didn’t take it on enough in the first ten overs.

“We realised that actually it was a really good wicket so our game plan at the halfway stage was to be proactive in the first ten overs and they did a brilliant job. In the closing overs we just had to keep calm heads and I said to Guesty, ‘let’s take it to the last over and the last ball because if we do we win this game.’ He was cool, calm and collected and smashed the first ball of the last over out of the park and that’s where we won it.”

Vitality Blast 2023: Be Bold, Be Derbyshire

In 2023, every Derbyshire Falcons home T20 will be played on a Friday night, weekend or Bank Holiday, meaning it’s never been easier to follow the Falcons in the Vitality Blast.

2022 saw a Club-record number of T20 wins, coupled with the Best Domestic Spectator Experience to make the Falcons Vitality Blast campaign one of the best ever, and this year’s promises to be even bigger, with an enhanced food and drink range and added emphasis on accessibility.

Tickets are selling fast, with the clash with Yorkshire Vikings at Queen’s Park and the East Midlands Derby vs Notts Outlaws gaining high interest from supporters, so don’t delay if you want to experience Mickey Arthur’s Falcons live this summer!