REPORT | Falcons fall to Durham defeat

Derbyshire Falcons were unable to build on strong starts to both innings against Durham, falling to a 16-run defeat at Banks Homes Riverside. 

Durham had a nightmare start when they lost an early wicket, but Robinson’s fluent 70, a T20 best for him, helped his side to 168 for six amid some impressive bowling from Allah Ghazanfar (2/18) and Fynn Hudson-Prentice (2/25).

Caleb Jewell (33 off 22) made early inroads into the Durham total with a display of controlled aggression, but a two-wicket over from Nathan Sowter (2/30) swung momentum back in Durham’s favour.

Bar some resistance from Wayne Madsen (37 off 31), the Derbyshire chase didn’t get going after that and Ben Raine (3/21) mopped up the tail to bowl the Falcons out for 152.

Durham were put in to bat by Derbyshire and it was the visitors who had a dream start with Ghazanfar bowling Alex Lees for one.

Derbyshire then cranked up the pressure further, with Graham Clark falling for 18 as he pulled a Hudson-Prentice delivery straight into the hands of Ross Whiteley on the boundary.

Colin Ackermann and Robinson steadied the ship, with Robinson finding the boundary when he reverse swept an Alex Thomson ball for four and he produced the same shot two balls later.

Robinson continued to motor as he hit Samit Patel for back-to-back boundaries and he then got his fifty from 32 balls, as he slammed a ball from the Falcons skipper through the offside for four.

Ackermann was very much the foil to Robinson’s aggression, but the Netherlands international struggled to get going and he went for 33 as he tried to heave a Martin Andersson ball over the ropes, but Hudson-Prentice had other ideas and produced an excellent grab on the boundary.

Wickets then came like buses for Derbyshire as the impressive Ghazanfar picked up Robinson, getting him LBW for a nicely made 70.

Jimmy Neesham looked to kick on but he fell to Hudson-Prentice for eight, however a late flurry from Somerset loanee Kasey Aldridge helped the hosts to 168 for six.

Derbyshire’s chase of 169 got off to a decent start, with Aneurin Donald finding the boundary three times in Callum Parkinson’s first over.

Jewell then backed that up with a tremendous shot for six over the fine leg boundary off the bowling of Zak Foulkes, but the New Zealand international bounced back to get Donald for 15 after he hit one straight to Aldridge at cover.

Durham got their second soon after with Neesham, who was playing his 300th T20, getting Andersson for two as he chipped one straight to Aldridge at mid-on.

Jewell kept on going as he carved an Aldridge ball for six and he guided his side past 50 in the powerplay, but he didn’t last much longer as the reliable Sowter forced the Australian into chopping on for 33.

Sowter struck again in the same over as he got Samit Patel LBW for two and Parkinson followed that up as he made a mess of the stumps to remove Brooke Guest for four.

Madsen broke the shackles and swept Sowter for six, he then followed that with a reverse sweep for four two balls later.

Derbyshire’s revival was halted by Raine who bowled Whiteley for 13, but Hudson-Prentice hit Foulkes for three consecutive fours.

Madsen’s knock of 37 came to an end with Parkinson getting his second of the night and Neesham followed that up by removing Hudson-Prentice for 18.

Raine then cleaned up the tail with two wickets in the final over to hand Durham their second win of the campaign.

Derbyshire’s Fynn Hudson-Prentice said:

“It’s obviously massively disappointing. We thought restricting them to under 170 on that wicket was good, it was obviously two-paced with a little bit of spin through the middle overs. I thought we did a good job with the ball, but we had a few periods where we just lost clusters of wickets which slowed us down.”

(On his boundary catch) “I definitely made a meal of it, I ran in, misjudged it in the sun and had to claw my way back with my hand over my head. I think I probably could have gone two hands with it but I thought I’d catch one for the photographers.”

(On deathbowling) “It was a role I obviously did last time I was at Derbyshire. It was something that I hadn’t really done at Sussex so when I came back I was told that was going to be my role. It’s nice when you execute as you don’t execute all of the time.”