The Sports Lowdown For All Your News and OpinionsLeicestershire Foxes secured their first win of the summer with a seven wicket victory over Derbyshire Falcons at Grace Road in an East Midlands Clash with Niall O’Brien leading the Foxes home with an excellent 47 not out.
The Foxes won the toss and inserted the Falcons into bat in theie Natwest T20 clash, with Wes Durston and South African star Hashim Amla opening up for Derbyshire in their East Midlands clash.
Durston got off to a flying start racing to 33-0 off three overs before Captain Mark Cosgrove introduced Aussie Clint McKay into the attack who immediately got the wicket of Amla who hit straight to Rob taylor at deep mid-wicket. Durston continued to attack but it was an O’Brien brothers double act as keeper Niall standing up, safely snaffled Durston from Kevin’s bowling.
Former Leicestershire all-rounder Shiv Thakor was next to the crease but didn’t last long as the impressive Jigar Naik first got his wicket before next ball repeating the dose for Scott Elstone with O’Brien taking both catches.
Chesney Hughes was at the other end watching wickets tumble as next to go was Tom Poynton who hit straight down Tom Wells throat for Naik to get his third wicket of the game. Hughes though was keeping the scoreboad ticking along as both he and Billy Godleman forged a decent partnership.
Hughes would be the next to go but not before he reached his half-century, departing for 59 with New Zealand star Grant Elliott taking an excellent catch off Ben Raine’s bowling. The Falcons ended their 20 overs on 163-6 with Hughes the mainstay of the innings.
Leicestershire got off to a steady start but lost skipper Cosgrove cheaply for just 8 as he chipped straight to Amla off the bowling of Ben Cotton. The ever improving Ned Eckersley was joined at the crease by Kevin O’Brien and the two kept the score ticking along nicely reaching the foxes half-century in the 6th over.
David Wainwright was introduced to the attack hoping to have the same effect as Naik did for the Foxes but they were watchful whilst falling behind the rate. With wickets in hand it was going to be a tight affair in this East Midlands T20 clash with the foxes on 82-1 at the half-way stage of their innings.
Wainwright finally made the breakthrough with a caught and bowled, removing Eckersley for 39 which brought New Zealand World Cup star Grant Elliott to the crease. O’Brien began to open up his shoulders launching Durston for a massive 6 but two balls later was caught at deep square-leg for 31.
Niall O’Brien joined Elliott at the crease hoping to forge a partnership with the Foxes in pole-position if they could keep wickets intact with 52 needed off 36 balls. Leicestershire were on top and continued to eat away at the target with 26 needed off the final 3 overs.
O’Brien and Elliott would see the Foxes home with relative ease with an over to spare as O’Brien hit a series of fours past the Derbyshire fielders who had come in, with the Ireland wicket-keeper finishing on 47 not out and Elliot finishing on 21 not out to give the Foxes their first win of the summer, with the positive vibe seemingly returning to Grace Road.
