Determined batting by the lower-order, coupled with five early second-innings wickets, helped Derbyshire turn their Specsavers County Championship clash with Leicestershire around on Day Three.
Beginning the day on 199-6, the visitors managed to almost reach first-innings parity thanks to dogged and determined batting, as they were eventually dismissed for 362 – a deficit of just 18 runs.
Callum Parkinson continued his impressive debut by hitting 48 not out, whilst Alex Hughes and Tony Palladino showed equal fight to score 48 and 46 respectively. Alex Mellor (27) and Tom Milnes (24) also made vital contributions in helping their side achieve four batting bonus points.
Milnes and Palladino then did early damage with the ball, at one point having their hosts 1-2 and then 30-3, before top-scorer Mark Cosgrove (49) was later bowled by Shiv Thakor and Parkinson had Mark Pettini (32) lbw shortly before stumps when Leicestershire were 109-5, leading by 127.
Resuming on an overnight score of 199-6, Alex Hughes and Mellor, the latter making his first-class debut, batted without giving a chance in raising a 50 partnership for the seventh wicket.
Having done so, however, and with a personal half-century within reach, Hughes had his off-stump knocked out by Richard Jones before Milnes and Palladino added another 39 for the eighth wicket, but Milnes was also bowled via an inside edge for 24.
19-year-old Parkinson had already impressed with his left-arm spin, picking up four wickets in Leicestershire’s first innings, and he showed he can also bat, giving Palladino good support as the last-wicket pair took the attack to the Leicestershire bowlers in the extra half hour before lunch.
Upon the resumption, the pair continued to bat well and secured four batting bonus points for their side but Palladino was last man out for 46 to Ben Raine (5-66) whilst Parkinson was left unbeaten on 48 in his side’s 362 all out.
The game then swung further in favour of the visitors when Milnes (2-29) bowled Angus Robson in the first over for a duck with a full delivery, and Palladino (1-18) had Paul Horton caught at second slip in the next over to leave the Foxes struggling on 1-2.
Neil Dexter and Cosgrove added 29 for the third wicket before Dexter was given out leg before to Milnes to bring Pettini to the crease who aided Cosgrove in putting on a 73-run stand.
That was ended when Thakor (1-18) bowled Cosgrove for 49, and then, in the following over, Pettini was lbw to Parkinson (1-32) as the momentum once again swung towards Derbyshire before the close, at which point Leicestershire were 109-5 with a lead of 127.
Derbyshire host their first ever Real Ale Beer Festival on Day One and Day Two of the Specsavers County Championship fixture versus Essex, on Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 August. To book your tickets, or for more information, please call 01332 388 101, email [email protected] or buy online HERE.
