Wagstaff and Madsen score fifties on tough day for Derbyshire

Wayne Madsen and Mitch Wagstaff scored half-centuries but Derbyshire struggled on Day Two against Yorkshire. 

Madsen, 39, impressed with a very watchable 93 off 140 balls in Derbyshire’s 247 all out as they replied to a first-innings 297. Opener Wagstaff also posted 52 – his maiden fifty in only his seventh first-team fixture.

But Madsen was one of seven afternoon wickets to fall as his side slipped from significant health at 173 for three to concede a lead of 50.

Seamers Matthew Fisher and Jordan Thompson both claimed three wickets apiece for Yorkshire, who later added to that lead with 179 for two from 38  second-innings overs.

Openers Fin Bean and Adam Lyth shared 100 inside 21 overs, their sixth successive Championship stand above 50. Bean top-scored with 64 before being run out backing up.

While Thompson’s three for 48 from 20.1 overs ensured he finished with the pick of the home figures, started with a wicket in the day’s opening over, Fisher was excellent during the afternoon.

He put the skids under Derbyshire on a pitch lacking pace in a fiery five-over spell yielding two wickets.

He bowled both Matt Lamb and Anuj Dal, beating them for pace with deliveries which kept low. Lamb’s off-stump went cartwheeling as the score fell to 193 for six.

Winding back to the start of the day, which Derbyshire started on 47 for one, Thompson had Brooke Guest caught behind in the opening over.

Wagstaff, 20-years-old, started day two on 32 and reached his fifty off 99 balls. This is only his second first-class fixture. The otherwise composed left-hander was then the second morning wicket to fall when ruffled by a Fisher short ball which he miscued to square-leg, leaving the score at 103 for three.

Derbyshire then pressed ahead with a 70-run stand either side of lunch between Madsen and captain Leus du Plooy, who made 30.

Madsen had reached his fifty off 67 balls before lunch, including a six over long-on against Ben Coad – and he looked extremely fluent early in his landmark appearance for Derbyshire.

Madsen, who three successive fours in one Fisher over, has had an interesting history with Yorkshire, a county who were previously keen on his signature.

In 2013, he won the inaugural Christopher Martin-Jenkins Spirit of Cricket Elite Award in recognition for walking of his own accord in a Championship match between these two counties at Chesterfield that season.

Steve Patterson’s appeal for caught behind was turned down, but Madsen walked. He went on to score 141 in the second innings of a defeat. Yorkshire’s interest in signing him was around the same time.

Last year, Madsen made his 400th all format appearance for Derbyshire in a Vitality Blast game at Headingley. In this year’s same fixture, he narrowly missed out on posting a world record sixth successive T20 half-century.

With him and du Plooy settled after lunch, Derbyshire looked well set for a first-innings lead. However, the course of the fixture was about to change.

Thompson, who thought he had du Plooy caught behind on 20, removed him caught at first slip on 30, leaving the score at 173 for four in the 51st over.

Then came Fisher’s aforementioned twin strikes before Matthew Revis bowled Alex Thomson.

And when Madsen edged another seamer George Hill into the gully seven short of three figures, Derbyshire were 209 for eight in the 68th over.

Zak Chappell and Sam Conners meatily struck some useful lower order runs – 20 and 15 respectively – before falling caught off Revis and Thompson respectively.

Bean and Lyth, who made 43, then further rubber-stamped Yorkshire’s excellent day with a dominant evening alliance.

They looked in little trouble, though Lyth was caught at slip looking to attack off-spinner Thomson, who then deflected a James Wharton drive onto the non-striker’s stumps to run Bean out.

Wharton and captain Shan Masood – 29 and 41 – then shared an unbroken half-century partnership through to close.

Yorkshire are on track for their second win of 2023. Their first was against Derbyshire at Chesterfield in June.

Derbyshire opener Mitch Wagstaff said: “It was a great feeling (to go and get my maiden fifty in the first team). It was a bit of a shame not to kick on, but a proud moment for me and my family.

“The whole morale around the set-up here is very positive, and the coaches and players give me real clarity just to go out there and play my game.  Thankfully it came off.

“I was quite frustrated with my mode of dismissal because that’s where I like the ball being bowled (short to pull). That’s one of my scoring shots.

“(His catch in the gully on day one) I didn’t see much of it, so I put my hand out, went for it and it stuck. It was a very good feeling when I caught it.

“Even though it’s a Yorkshire fanbase here, it was good to have the crowd get amongst that catch with their reaction.

“We can see that things happen quickly here, as we saw with our middle to lower order in the afternoon.

“If we can get a couple of quick wickets, we can get on a roll. That’s what we’re going to aim for tomorrow and see where we go.”