Derbyshire Falcons Vitality T20 Blast at County Ground, Derby Win

CHRISTIAN AND MOORES POWER OUTLAWS TO VICTORY

Notts comfortably beat Derbyshire by 39 runs via Duckworth Lewis Stern Method to win their third consecutive game and as a consequence move to second in the T20 Northern Section. The match was reduced to a 19 over affair after rain held up proceedings for 40 minutes after 17.5 overs of the Notts innings. Dan Christian gained top billing again winning his third man of the match award scoring 62 off 40 balls (4 x 4, 3 x 6), taking three for 34 and executing a brilliant run out. He was well supported by Tom Moores who scored 53 (3 x 4, 4 x 6) off 25 balls. Lockie Ferguson the right arm fast bowler from Auckland bowled well for the Peakites taking four for 26; clean bowling Fraine, Mullaney and Patel. Notts at 59 for 4 off 6.5 overs recovered well to achieve 175 for eight off 19 overs on a used wicket with long boundaries. Moores and his skipper added 64 runs in 5.3 overs to hand the imitative to the Green and Gold who dominated the rest of the contest. Notts despite bowling with a wet ball pegged back Derby throughout their innings as they bowled and fielded well as a unit. Glaswegian Calum MacLeod hit a defiant 48 (3 x 4, 2 x 6) for the home side but he received little support from his multinational colleagues which included 2 South Africans, an Irishman, Pakistani, Kiwi and Trinidadian in their ranks as well as the Scotsman.

Dan Christian lost his fourth successive toss as Notts were inserted. Jake Libby came in for his T20 debut replacing Riki Wessels who was unavailable for family reasons. 

Will Fraine opened with Steven Mullaney. 

 Wayne Madsen opened the bowling and conceded five including a four through mid wicket by Will Fraine. Riaz opened from the City End and was hit for successive fours by Mullaney, who was dropped off the last ball of the over by Wilson at backward point, 15 for 0 after 2 overs. Rampaul then came on from the Racecourse End and was hit for six over backward square leg by Mullaney then two balls later a lofted four over mid off, 11 off the over. Kiwi Lockie Ferguson changed the game by taking 4 wickets in his first two overs. Firstly Will Fraine hit him for the successive off side fours but then was bowled off stump by a sharp delivery for 14, 34 for one. Fraine was to field excellently later. After a single for Moores, Mullaney (20) lost his off stump to a slow Yorker, 35 for two after five overs. Rampaul was hit for a straight six by Moores and next ball was pulled for four, 45 for two at the end of the power play.

Riaz then conceded five and Ferguson came back for the eighth over and after bowling a wide, hit the stumps for the third time as Patel departed for three, 51 for three. Billy Root then hit two successive fours but then Ferguson picked up wicket number four as Root (8) was caught at backward point by Madsen, 59 for four. Madsen (2-0-20-0) came back and was edged for four by Christian; his 3500 runs in T20 cricket. Moores then hit him for six over mid wicket. Notts 74 for four after 8 overs. Ferguson's third over went for two. Alex Hughes arrived for over ten and his first ball was hit for six over long on by Moores, 12 off the over. Rampaul returned and conceded 10, Notts 100 for four after 11 overs. Matt Critchley (3-0-37-1) was hit for six over mid wicket by Moores off his first ball. A single followed then he was launched for a straight six by Christian over the Falcon Stand to bring up the 50 partnership. Christian then hit an offside four, 19 off the over. Moores got to 50 off 24 balls with a mid wicket four off Hughes, but then going for a similar shot was caught by Ferguson off Hughes for 53, 123 for five. Hughes went for nine off the thirteenth over. Critchley was then hit for leg side six by Christian. Notts 136 for five off 14 overs. Ferguson conceded four off his last over to finish with 4-0-26-4, a T20 best. Critchley was hit for six over mid wicket by Christian. Paul Coughlin was stumped by Smit off the leg spinner for four, 149 for six. Libby batting at eight went for three being caught at mid off by Riaz off Hughes (3-0-26-2), only five off the over. Christian got to his 50 off 33 balls with four through extra cover off Riaz. Christian hit a four off the last ball bowled by Riaz (3-0-26-0) as rain stopped play at 165 for seven off 17.5 overs at 2010 with Christian on 57 and Fletcher on 1. Luckily the rain was light and play restarted at 2051 with the match now a 19 over a side affair. Rampaul bowled the last over. Christian holed at long off caught by Wilson off Rampaul (4-0-38-1) for 62. Luke Fletcher hit a two off the last ball as Outlaws closed on 175 for eight off 19 overs.

Derbyshire needed a revised DLS target of 179. The scoreboard though took about three overs to regain sanity as the crowd became increasing confused. Ben Slater hit Gurney's first ball for four. The third ball went for pulled six over the keeper's head. Ball four went for a leg side four, 14 off the over. But from there things then went downhill for the home side. Dan Christian came on from the Racecourse End. After Critchley got a single Slater was caught at deep mid wicket by Root for 14, 15 for one. Fletcher came on for the third over and a fantastic piece of fielding saw Hughes run out a duck, Christian hitting the stumps directly from mid off, 17 for two. Just a single off the Fletcher’s first six balls. Critchley hit a mid wicket four off Christian. Then Critchley hit a four just over Fletcher's head at short third man. Then off the fourth ball a four through extra cover. Then Critchley pulled a four through long leg, 16 off the over. Gurney bowled the fifth over and a slower ball was too good for Critchley who was bowled for 19, 35 for three. Gurney went for two singles in the over. Fletcher then returned from the Racecourse End, Scottish hero from the recent Grange encounter, Calum MacLeod hitting him for a straight four. Derby 44 for three after 6 overs. Patel conceded three off the seventh over. Ish Sodhi came on next over and conceded 11 including a four for MacLeod. Mullaney replaced Patel and conceded four off his solitary over. Derbyshire 63 for three off nine as Patel switched ends. An attempted reverse sweep for Madsen went awry as the South African fell leg before to Patel for 6. Gary Wilson hit Patel for four through third man, 70 for four off 10 overs. Sodhi came on for the 11th over and a short ball was pulled for four by MacLeod. Wilson (6) holed out to Coughlin at extra cover, 75 for five after 11 overs. Dan Christian came back and Riaz slogged him for four over cow corner. Riaz went for the same shot and fell to a well judged catch on the run by Mullaney departing for 6, a second wicket for Christian, 83 for six. Sodhi then conceded five, and then Patel (3-0-21-1) returned and was hit for a straight six by MacLeod, 99 for six off 14 overs. MacLeod hit Sodhi for a leg side six. Sodhi then bowled ex Notts man Anuj Dal for 10, 109 for seven. Sodhi 2 for 32 off his four overs. Gurney bowled the 16th over. Smit got a four off Gurney as Sodhi let one go through his legs. Smit then hit Christian for four through third man. Calum MacLeod was caught at long on by Coughlin off Christian for 48, 127 for eight off 17 overs. Gurney had Smit leg before for 15, 132 for nine. Gurney conceding six to finish with 4-0-30-2. The final over was bowled by Fletcher and he conceded six singles. Derby closing on 138 for nine. Fletcher 3-0-14-0. Notts had played excellently on the night to silence the large home crowd. MAG:

Steven Mullaney, 
Jake Libby 
Harry Gurney, , 
Luke Fletcher, 
Samit Patel, 
Tom Moores (wkt), 
Paul Coughlin, 
Will Fraine, 
Dan Christian (c), 
Ish Sodhi, 
Billy Root