Madsen passes 1,000 runs as season ends with draw

Wayne Madsen passed 1,000 Vitality County Championship runs for the season with a century, as Derbyshire end the season with a draw agains Leicestershire at the Uptonsteel County Ground.

The 40-year-old hit 11 fours and a six in an unbeaten 105, although it was not a chanceless century. He was dropped at midwicket on 72, which would have left him tantalisingly on 1,999 against the Foxes.

Skipper David Lloyd made 73 as Derbyshire posted 252 for three declared in their first innings in reply to Leicestershire’s 280 all out, in which Lloyd’s three for 43 was his side’s best performance with the ball. The first two days of the match had been lost to the weather.

Nonetheless, it is a season Derbyshire will want to forget after finishing bottom of the Division Two table with just one win from 14 matches, while it did not reach the conclusion Leicestershire had been hoping for in August, when they were still contention for a promotion place.

Three draws and two defeats in their last five matches put paid to that ambition and 2025 will be their 20th consecutive season in Division Two.

Resuming at 264 for eight, Leicestershire added 16 runs before Zak Chappell uprooted debutant Alex Green’s middle stump to end their first innings, Pat Brown having had Sam Wood caught at first slip, both with the second new ball.

Ben Cox, a possible contender to take over from Lewis Hill as captain next season, finished on 42 not out.

Leicestershire had been bowled out in 87.1 overs. With a minimum 86 overs left in the match, some watching were hopeful that each team might forfeit an innings to leave Derbyshire a target of 265, which at least would have created a meaningful conclusion to the match, even if the prize at stake was no more than regional pride.

But if there had been any discussions around manufacturing a finish, they clearly did not end in agreement. Derbyshire emerged from the pavilion to little apparent purpose other than to add such batting bonus points as they could to the three they picked up for bowling, although nothing can now alter the fact that they have finished bottom of the table for the 17th time in their history.

Then again, after five defeats in six matches coming into this one, it could be argued that it is better to finish the season with a draw than another loss.

As it happened, by lunch Derbyshire were well on the way to that objective at 79 for one from 18 overs, left-arm spinner Liam Trevaskis picking up the sole wicket to fall with his first delivery when Mitch Wagstaff edged to slip.

Against a depleted Leicestershire attack, with no Josh Hull, Chris Wright, Scott Currie or Rehan Ahmed for a variety of reasons, runs came relatively easily at times.

Green, 6ft 6ins and not 18 until February, bowled his first overs in first-class cricket but found there was little margin for error with length or line on an unresponsive pitch, although he troubled the batters at times.

Lloyd, who has had a chastening first season as Derbyshire’s captain, completed his fourth half-century of the campaign, but after 11 fours he was denied the chance to register his first hundred since his triple century against Derbyshire for Glamorgan in 2022 when he slashed at a delivery from Ben Mike outside off stump and was caught at slip.

Harry Came had been the second wicket to fall, edging to wicketkeeper Cox off Ben Green, one of six seamers deployed by the home side.

Madsen’s stand with Brooke Guest added 132, the 40-year-old clearly in the mood to take advantage of the docile conditions on a bright, if cool afternoon, providing some entertainment for the pockets of keen spectators, reaching the 100-run milestone for the 39th time in his first-class career with an uppercut off Mike for his 11th four.

Derbyshire centurion Wayne Madsen said: “It is pretty special to get to 1,000 runs in a season. It is a feat you are always striving for as a batter and I’m extremely proud, especially to have done it after our first game of the season was completely washed out.

“I always enjoy batting here, it is a good wicket to bat on and I’ve been fortunate enough to make some runs against Leicestershire.

“It adds a little bit of joy to  what has been a disappointing season for us in red-ball cricket. We struggled at the beginning, and not getting Mohammad Amir at the start of the season was a big blow, because he could have helped us win a few games. We played for a large part of the season without overseas players, which has been a factor but we have not been consistent enough in our performances.

“As a collective, we have  to look at ourselves and really finding the grit and resilience to win games of cricket has to be at the top of our focus, as well as certain skill sides we have to get right.

“In this match, it was mentioned off the cuff early doors that there might be a way that we could have had two declarations, but nothing was agreed. But to play pretty good cricket through his game and come away with a draw is good for us psychologically. And had it been a longer game we would have been pleased with the way we played.

“Looking ahead to next season, I’ll be 41 in January but I still have that hunger to play for Derbyshire and I’m fully intending to play in all formats again.”

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