Wagstaff half-century puts Derbyshire in strong position on Day Two

Mitchell Wagstaff scored 78 on Day Two at Sophia Gardens to put Derbyshire in a strong position heading into the final two days of the season at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff.

Earlier in the day, Luis Reece added another landmark as he became the first batter to be given out by a female umpire in 123 seasons of County Cricket.

Having turned down a few earlier requests in the game, Sue Redfern finally lifted her finger in the 100^th over of the Derbyshire first innings as she sent Reece back to the pavilion caught behind by Chris Cooke off James McIlroy’s bowling.

Redfern made her own piece of history by becoming the first female umpire to stand in a men’s first-class match in the final round of Division 2 fixtures at Sophia Gardens. The 44-year-old ex-England star became the first full-time professional female umpire on the ECB list last year.

She had previously made history by serving as the fourth umpire in a men’s T20 international, also at Cardiff in 2021, and becoming the first woman to stand in a Vitality Blast match in June.

Reece was the second wicket to fall early on in a day where the Glamorgan’s bowlers hit back after conceding 308 runs on Day won and taking only two wickets. Timm van der Gugten gave the home side the perfect start by dismissing Derbyshire skipper Leus du Plooy for 22 with a catch behind by Cooke.

Matthew Lamb then took two boundaries off the next three balls before Reece carefully negotiated a maiden over against Jamie McIlroy in failing light. The umpires took the teams off after two overs and it didn’t take long before Reece was dismissed without adding to his overnight score of 139.

Lamb and Anuj Dal followed in the space of 13 overs, reducing Derbyshire to 375-6 after starting the day on 308-2, but 20-year-old Mitchell Wagstaff, playing in only his third first-class game, ensured the visitors were able to reach 450-8 before declaring.

He hit 12 fours and a six in an entertaining knock of 78 and there was a wag in the tail from Zak Chappell as he notched an unbeaten 26 off 29 balls to allow Du Plooy to declare after 127 overs. That gave Glamorgan a big total to chase, but their progress was hindered by bad light once again and the day was finally called off at 5.51pm with openers Zain Ul-Hassan and Eddie Byrom both unbeaten on 15 and five respectively with the home reply standing at 22-0 from a mere 11 overs.

Derbyshire batter, Mitch Wagstaff, said:

“It’s a special feeling to come back into the team and put in a good performance. It means a lot and it’s just a pity it’s at the end of the season.

“The first task was to get to 350 in 110 overs to get the bating point and then after tea we had 15 overs to reach 450 to get another point and declare. That’s why you saw some extravagant shots.

“The team comes first and it’s all about putting us into a winning position. Personal milestones come second, so there weren’t any thoughts about getting to a century.

“My mind was on getting us towards the 450 mark and to score as many runs as quickly as possible. Every game to me is a massive learning experience because I’m still pretty new at this.

”It will be good for confidence going into next season. It’s nice to be able to end the season on a high because I’m looking forward to trying to cement my place in the team next summer and see how I go.

“The pitch played pretty well. It’s going to be difficult to take 20 wickets on it, but we’ve just got to keep at it and keep bowling in the right areas. There are a lot of overs to play so we have to keep trying to take wickets.”

2024 Membership | We Are Derbyshire | Onward Together

For more than 150 years, Derbyshire County Cricket Club has embodied the pride, passion, determination, grit and against all odds mentality that our great county is built on.

Members are at the heart of the Club; this is your Derbyshire, backed by a rich heritage and a desire to bring success to our community.

With an exciting crop of new additions, players approaching their primes and an experienced core led by an internationally-renowned coaching team, we are striving for success in 2024 and beyond.

Through the highs and the lows, through the unforgettable nights and the testing days, through summer and winter, We Are Derbyshire: Onward Together.

Buy 2024 Membership