REPORT | Drama to the last ball as Derbyshire draw

Martin Andersson top-scored for Derbyshire in a tense final-over draw with Glamorgan in the Rothesay County Championship fixture at Sophia Gardens. 

Ben Kellaway claimed career best batting and bowling figures on the same day as Luis Reece and number 11 Blair Tickner survived 28 balls to secure a 13-point draw. The 21-year-old’s 78 set up a declaration before taking 5 for 101 in 25 overs, falling just short of handing Glamorgan a win.

Tasked with the last over after taking two wickets in two balls, Kellaway produced a spectacle turnaround after twists and turns on the final day with Derbyshire firing towards victory on numerous occasions when set 338 in 65 overs.

David Lloyd started Derbyshire’s winning hopes against his former side before Martin Andersson and Brooke Guest’s 97-run partnership put Derbyshire in the ascendency for 56 of their 65 overs.

The day began in an all results possible situation. The hosts had an explosive end to the first session from Glamorgan from Chris Cooke and Kellaway, despite the latter having some fortune when kicking a ball away from his stumps on 19. With 124 added in 32 overs from the overnight score, Glamorgan subsequently declared at lunch with the veteran ‘keeper stranded on 49 not out.

Derbyshire requiring a chase which would rank fourth amongst their successes if pulled off started strongly with the opening pair chalking up a half-century partnership in just 10.5 overs, stamping their authority on their decision-making in the three-way result possible scenario.

Leonard striking in his first over started a will they, won’t they scenario with Wayne Madsen then taking over as enforcer for his 22 from 19 balls, ended by a diving catch from Andy Gorvin at fine-leg, another for Leonard.

Kellaway regained the hope on two occasions for Glamorgan. The prize of Caleb Jewell short of 50, sweeping against the spin. Guest and Andersson’s run-a-ball 50 partnership with innovation and big hitting in form over reverse-sweeps and muscled pull shots and clean strikes over mid-on put Glamorgan into defensive mode.

Kellaway kickstarted hope for a second time to foresee a Derbyshire collapse. Anuj Dal the last remaining hope with Reece before attention would have to turn to Tickner. The all-rounder, on 34 after coming in to attempt the chase, charging down with just 29 balls to survive, stumped to complete the 21-year-old’s five-for.

With 28 balls to follow, Tickner showcased his international experience blocking out for 1 in 10 balls with a calm-headed Reece batting at number 10, surviving against an ambidextrous over from the off-spinner-come-left-arm-orthodox-bowling youngster.

Derbyshire captain Wayne Madsen: “It was a great game of cricket, the message was ‘we are out to win the game’, so the belief we played with stood us in good stead.

“I’m really proud, we gave it a go all the way through and only with the last two wickets did we decide we needed to close up shop.

“Guesty and Martin played fantastic knocks to get us in a position where we had a really good chance of winning the game, at a run a ball, and Anuj kept the momentum up.

“There were some big performances from everyone through the game, that’s the pleasing thing after this first batch of five games.”