Wayne Madsen says the lads owe it to the supporters to put in a performance in the East Midlands derby on Friday night.
Derbyshire Falcons take on Notts Outlaws in the NatWest T20 Blast in the first meeting between the two sides this season on Friday; 7pm start.
The Falcons can move level on points with their local rivals with a victory and Madsen says the players are determined to put in a strong performance in front of their home crowd.
“The support that we get down here for T20 nights is fantastic. We owe it to our crowd to perform well and get a result on Friday,” said Madsen.
“There is always a great crowd down for these games. It’s a game all the lads look forward to and hopefully there will be a lot of people cheering us on to help us get a win.
“The feeling and the buzz that you get from playing in this derby game really is incredible. As a player you just want to be involved.”
Madsen says the atmosphere generated in this fixture makes it different to any other, and believes this game carries extra significance.
“My first T20 for the club was at Trent Bridge against Notts and the atmosphere was electric, the build-up before the match was crazy. The support from both sets of fans is always brilliant and in terms of a local rivalry it is huge.
“Notts are just up the A52 and this is a massive game for everybody connected with both counties, as a team this is our Lancashire/Yorkshire fixture and the game is as big as that for us.
“We know we need to win in front of a packed crowd. We want to express ourselves, play some good cricket and give our supporters something to cheer.”
Derbyshire are back in home NatWest T20 Blast action on Friday 26 June when they welcome Notts Outlaws to The 3aaa County Ground for the eagerly-awaited East Midlands derby.
Click here to purchase NatWest T20 Blast tickets >>
Photography: David Griffin
