Martin Guptill struck 161 from just 108 balls whilst Wayne Madsen scored 133, as Derbyshire ran out comfortable winners over Cambridge MCCU at Fenner’s.
Guptill and Madsen helped Graeme Welch’s men post 535-6 batting first before declaring with runs for Billy Godleman (60) and Shiv Thakor (60 not out) as well.
Mark Footitt took 4-35 as the scholars were bowled out for just 95 in reply, allowing Madsen to enforce the follow-on with a lead of 440.
Cambridge MCCU offered more resistance in the second innings but wickets for Thakor (4-24) and Wes Durston (3-27) meant that they were eventually all out for 176 to hand Derbyshire victory by an innings and 264 runs.
Cambridge won the toss against a Derbyshire team which was close to being the strongest team they could turn out: they were especially pleased to welcome the return of Martin Guptill after his impressive display for New Zealand in the recent World Cup when he had finished as the leading run-scorer. Derbyshire batted first and Ben Slater and Billy Godleman batted steadily to give the innings a good foundation. Slater was caught down the leg side in the tenth over with the score on 45 whereupon Guptill joined Godleman.
The students’ bowling was not particularly challenging and it was Godleman who scored the more freely in their partnership of 69 in eight overs. He was second out at 114 in the eighteenth over having made sixty, including fourteen fours, from 46 balls. Wayne Madsen stayed with Guptill until lunch by which time Derbyshire had reached 202 for two (31 overs). Some of Guptill’s driving was breath-taking in its execution and power: he started the afternoon session by hitting three of the first four balls he faced over the straight boundary and from the last ball of that same over he reached his hundred from 72 balls.
Guptill faced only thirty-six more balls in adding another sixty before he retired for 161 after adding 215 with Madsen in just under thirty overs. Meanwhile Madsen had reached his own hundred from 125 balls and he was out shortly before tea for 133. Wes Durston, Shiv Thakor and Harvey Hosein were all able to spend useful time in the middle before the declaration which allowed Derbyshire fifty minutes bowling before the close.
Mark Footitt took a wicket with his first ball, and he proved too fast for most of the home batsmen. Tom Taylor shared the new ball with Footitt and the students were feeble in their attempts to counter some aggressive bowling. They were not helped by a suicidal run-out, but they finished the day on a desperate 32 for five from 9.1 overs.
Happily the university side showed more fight on the second day, but their position was well-nigh hopeless. The last five wickets added a further 63 runs and were shared between four bowlers.
Derbyshire decided against the opportunity for more batting practice and asked Cambridge to follow on 440 runs in arrears. Their two openers batted more resolutely at the second attempt and they went to lunch on 34 without loss after eleven overs. They took their opening stand to sixty before Alex Hughes trapped the first victim lbw. There were several better efforts in the second innings, with Lowen making an accomplished 53 from 95 balls, but the task facing them was always going to be too great, and the inevitable end came at 5.20pm with Thakor and Durston sharing the last seven wickets between them.
It had been one of the most one-sided matches in Derbyshire’s history and did not deserve the first-class status which it would have had if it had been played during the previous fortnight.
Derbyshire 535 for 6 dec (84 overs) (MJ Guptill 161ret, WL Madsen 133, SJ Thakor 60*, BA Godleman 60, HR Hosein 39*, WJ Durston 38; AJ Hunt 3 for 112, ATA Allchin 2 for 105)
Cambridge MCCU 95 (27 overs) (AJ Hunt 27; MHA Footitt 4 for 35, TAI Taylor 2 for 9) and 176 (59.2 overs) (CT Lowen 53, AT Arif 25; SJ Thakor 4 for 24, WJ Durston 3 for 27, AL Hughes 2 for 17)
Derbyshire beat Cambridge MCCU by an innings and 264 runs
