Falcons hold nerve to beat Durham

Derbyshire Falcons held their nerve in a tense run chase in the final over to defeat Durham by six wickets in their Vitality Blast clash at Emirates Riverside.

The Falcons successfully chased down their total of 177 from their 20 overs as Brooke Guest smashed the final ball of the innings for a boundary to beat the home side. Guest and Matt Critchley put on a stand of 64 to defy Durham and close out only their fourth win of the competition this term.

Earlier in the day, Alex Thomson claimed 3-23 to limit Durham to 176 for nine. The hosts were made to rue lapses with the ball and in the field to put their hopes of reaching the last eight of the Blast in jeopardy.

After Durham were inserted by Critchley, David Bedingham’s lean time in T20 cricket continued despite his excellent first-class form, edging Logan van Beek’s second legal delivery to Fynn Hudson-Prentice at first slip. Graham Clark injected Durham’s innings with pace, using his guile to make a rapid 25 in the powerplay before he chipped straight to Van Beek.

Ben Raine and Cameron Bancroft continued to move the scoreboard along at a brisk pace, reaching 64 for two at the end of the powerplay. Raine made a solid 32 before he attempted a sweep against Critchley that was well claimed by Luis Reece. The Falcons’ excellent work in the field continued when George Scrimshaw made a great diving grab to remove Bancroft for a run-a-ball 20.

Scott Borthwick played a gem of the innings through the middle overs. He notched three fours and a six before he was bowled by Thomson for 33, who impressed with three wickets. Durham made a press towards a score of 180 in the closing overs led by Sean Dickson before being caught from the ball by Jade Dernbach for 37.

The Falcons lost Luis Reece early in their reply when Bancroft produced a brilliant one-handed catch, allowing Paul van Meekeren to notch his first Durham wicket. Leus du Plooy and Tom Wood steadied the ship, and put the Durham bowlers under pressure with placement rather than power to find the fence.

Wood and Du Plooy manoeuvred Derbyshire into a strong position, bringing the required rate under control in a partnership of 68. However, momentum turned when Van Meekeren broke the stand as Wood sliced a top edge to Clark at backward point. Luke Doneathy then claimed his maiden T20 wicket clean bowling Du Plooy for 47 to drag the hosts back into the contest.

The Falcons found a second wind as Critchley and Guest combined to dispatch Potts for 17 in the 17th over. Guest then launched Potts for another maximum in the 19th to leave Derbyshire requiring only eight to win. The Falcons held their nerve under pressure as Guest blasted the winning runs from the final ball of Raine’s over.