The county championship cricket match between Derbyshire and Northamptonshire was called off as a draw after rain repeatedly interrupted play. The action of the game over six days Derbyshire were a relatively modest county side, but they scored an impressive 307 runs in their first innings. They had scored 202-3 in their second innings when rain brought the game to an unexpected end.
Derbyshire caught the eye with a quality, first-innings performance punctuated by a superb century from their captain, Billy Godleman. Jewell starred with the bat, his 71 runs well-fought, Madsen finishing on 62 not out in the second innings. His performance was key as Derbyshire, having made a poor start, attempted to add some runs. Guest’s performance was pivotal to the team’s success on the field. He scored a quick 12 not out before the match stopped suddenly in its tracks.
As the match was called off early, Derbyshire received 12 points from the match. The side looked set to begin their second innings, sitting at 202-3. With rain bringing play to an end, that would be it.
Representing his team’s ‘Fielders’ XI’ in a send-off to retiring club legend Wayne Madsen, Derbyshire’s bowling attack was led by David Leech with figures of 2-54. Despite the perfect runs they made, head of cricket Mickey Arthur admitted that the overall skill set of the squad was well below par and expectation. He remarked on the situation, stating,
“We’ve got away with this one and certainly our skills weren’t at the level that we all expect.” – Mickey Arthur, Derbyshire head of cricket
Northamptonshire’s head coach Darren Lehmann explained why the weather was particularly frustrating for the entire match not to be played. During his own day three performance on Derbyshire, he was keen to flag up how well they were playing.
“It hasn’t gone our way with the weather, Derbyshire played well yesterday and I thought it was an excellent game.” – Darren Lehmann, Northamptonshire head coach
Madsen was pleased with the hitters’ approach, particularly on day three. Despite the draw, that was enough to put them in position to score quickly and take control of the game. He talked about how crucial it would be to carry the momentum into matches that followed.
As stated earlier, this Friday will see Derbyshire face Middlesex at home. Their goal is to continue their recently improved batting prowess and improve in the process as they pursue winning. The team will be hoping to switch things up as they get set for another competitive fixture.
Leave a Reply