Martin Andersson took six wickets as Derbyshire Falcons thrashed Leicestershire Foxes by 85 runs to file their first win of the T20 Blast season.
The seam-bowling all-rounder backed up a half-century with the bat by taking a career-best 6-23 with the ball, the most effective bowling figures by any Derbyshire bowler in T20 historical past.
The Foxes, for whom Australian all-rounder Ashton Turner top-scored with 53 from 22 balls, suffered a 3rd defeat, bowled out for 145 in 15.2 overs.
Derbyshire capitalised on a lightning begin to hammer a formidable 230-5 – only one in need of their file within the format – after Caleb Jewell struck an unbeaten 58 off 35 balls, Andersson having made 57 from 29 and Aneurin Donald 49 from 24.
Needing to surpass their very own match file complete to win, the Foxes suffered a calamitous starting to their reply, discovering themselves three down within the first 11 balls with solely six scored. Rishi Patel was caught at deep midwicket off spinner Jack Morley earlier than Stephen Eskinazi hit straight to mid-off and Nick Kelly chopped on, giving Ben Aitchison two wickets in 4 balls.
Turner and Ben Cox then raised house hopes in an exhilarating partnership that added 92 in 40 balls, Turner twice clearing the boundary off Pakistan worldwide Akif Javed and pulling one other six off Matt Montgomery’s off spin.
Turner survived one probability on 32 however each batters perished in the identical Andersson over, every discovering Ross Whiteley within the deep on the off facet, and after Liam Trevaskis, caught at because the sixth Foxes wicket to fall on 111, there appeared like just one winner.
The Andersson-Whiteley combo loved a 3rd success as Ben Inexperienced holed out, earlier than the previous Middlesex man, who didn’t bowl in both of Derbyshire’s opening two matches, caught and bowled Ian Holland and Josh Hull in the identical over.
Profitable the toss, the Foxes opted to chase no matter Derbyshire might muster, which shortly appeared like being quite a bit because the guests flew out of the traps, placing on 78 within the powerplay.
Donald – dropped within the deep twice, on 25 and 44 – cleared the ropes thrice, twice off house skipper Inexperienced.
A great seize on the run by Turner at mid-on lastly eliminated Donald however Derbyshire continued apace, Andersson upper-cutting for six as he raced to a 22-ball fifty and the Falcons reached midway at 120-1.
The house facet regained some floor, limiting Derbyshire to 35 within the subsequent 5 overs. Turner had Andersson caught at deep level, then Holland took two in two, bowling Wayne Madsen with a leg-stump yorker and dismissing Whitely with a superb one-handed return catch.
However Matt Montgomery (27 off 13) supplied contemporary impetus earlier than Jewell cleared the long-on rope off a free hit in hammering 24 in a single Ben Mike over and Ben Inexperienced’s remaining over went for 19, the final 5 yielding 75 runs in a Derbyshire complete only one in need of their file 231 made towards the identical opponents at Derby in 2023.
