Derbyshire Falcons recorded their second NatWest T20 Blast win of the season as they beat Leicestershire Foxes by 17 runs at The 3aaa County Ground.
Derbyshire batted first and posted 189-7 with Captain Wes Durston leading from the front striking 88 from 49 balls, including nine fours and four sixes.
The Falcons then took wickets at crucial periods of the Foxes’ reply as Leicestershire fell 17 runs of their victory target, finishing on 172-7 despite an unbeaten 64 off 28 balls from Tom Wells.
Derbyshire were asked to bat first by Leicestershire Captain Mark Cosgrove and the Falcons enjoyed a good opening period reaching 61-1 at the end of the six Powerplay overs thanks to some explosive batting from Durston, as he hit consecutive sixes off a Rob Taylor over which went for 20.
An important partnership of 71 between Durston and Chesney Hughes came to an end in the ninth over, as Hughes was caught at long off by the diving Wells for 20 off the bowling of Jigar Naik. Durston brought up his half-century from 28 balls in the following over as Derbyshire scored 16 runs off Wells to reach 98-2 at the halfway mark.
Wayne Madsen fell for 15, pulling the ball straight to Cosgrove at mid-on, but Durston continued to play aggressively but he fell 12 runs short of his century, as he was caught at deep mid-wicket by Umar Akmal off Raine for a blistering 49-ball 88.
Shiv Thakor nicked a Clint McKay slower ball to wicketkeeper Niall O’Brien for just three but the returning Alex Hughes came in at seven and struck two sixes off Taylor to regain the momentum for Derbyshire. Hughes hit 21 from 11 balls before he and Scott Elstone, who hit 24 from 19 balls, were both run out in the final over as Derbyshire closed on 189-7.
Leicestershire reached 21-0 from their first three overs but Wayne White struck with his first ball as Ned Eckersley was caught behind by Tom Poynton for eight.
The Foxes composed themselves as Cosgrove and Raine guided them to 47-1 at the end of the Powerplay, but Durston then played his part with the ball as he claimed his 50th career Twenty20 wicket, as Raine was expertly stumped by Poynton for 21.
Alex Hughes then took a key wicket as Cosgrove, who had begun to pick up the pace in his innings of 44, clipped the ball to White at deep square leg to leave Leicestershire 85-3 from 10.4 overs. In his next over, Akmal was ran out by Madsen for just five, before Durston caught Niall O’Brien for 15 off the bowling of Thakor the following over.
Wells and Matthew Boyce were the men at the crease for the visitors and some tight bowling from the Falcons meant that the visitors required an improbable 67 from the final four overs. The pressure told as Boyce was run out by White for eight, as he desperately attempted a second run that was simply never on.
Nathan Rimmington bowled his Australian compatriot McKay for a single in the penultimate over and the finish line was in sight as the Foxes required 44 from 11 balls, with three wickets remaining.
Wells brought up his fifty in the final over as he finished unbeaten on 64 from 28 balls, but his effort was in vain as Leicestershire finished on 172-7 and Derbyshire recorded a 17-run victory.
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Derbyshire are back in home NatWest T20 Blast action on Friday 26 June when they welcome Notts Outlaws to The 3aaa County Ground.
