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Remarkable Derbyshire beat Leicestershire by nine wickets to stay top of North group in Bob Willis Trophy

Matt Critchley of Derbyshire poses for a portrait  - Remarkable Derbyshire beat Leicestershire by nine wickets to top North group in Bob Willis Trophy - GETTY IMAGES
Matt Critchley of Derbyshire poses for a portrait - Remarkable Derbyshire beat Leicestershire by nine wickets to top North group in Bob Willis Trophy - GETTY IMAGES
  • Derbyshire (408 and 12) beat Leicestershire (199 and 220) by nine wickets

Such was the bio-security, as the city which had hitherto been England’s coronavirus capital hosted its first match in the Bob Willis Trophy, that one reserve player who had left his kit at the ground was not allowed back inside Grace Road to collect it. But Derbyshire managed to overcome all the obstacles to win by nine wickets and lead the North group in the Bob Willis Trophy.

It is no surprise that Somerset are leading the Central group with two wins out of two, while Essex will top the South group if their offspinner Simon Harmer proves too much for Surrey a second time round. Essex, after all, won the County Championship last year while Somerset finished runners-up. What is remarkable is that Derbyshire top the North group, having beaten Leicestershire and, in their highest-ever county run-chase, Nottinghamshire, so that they have the most points, 44, after two rounds of the trophy.

In disposing of Leicestershire in their second innings - Derbyshire could not quite pull off their first-innings victory for nine years - the visitors were indebted to their legspinner Matt Critchley who took six wickets for 73. A hot afternoon in the cricket season, Derbyshire with more points than any other county, and a young English legspinner the matchwinner: county cricket seldom comes more surprising than that.

Having played 49 first-class matches, and averaged 49 runs each for his 66 wickets, Critchley took three wickets in one over in mid-afternoon to settle the issue. Wickets taken in the right manner, too, starting with the high-class South African Colin Ackermann who pushed forward at a legbreak and was not simply help at slip by Wayne Madsen; Madsen could not have dived further to his right, or lower, to take the catch one-handed at full stretch.

In the same over Ben Mike pushed forward at another legbreak and was caught at second slip, and the very next ball Dieter Klein was pinned in his crease by something quicker from Critchley, who went on to take only his second five-wicket haul, the first having come on the bouncier pitch at Chesterfield.

Derbyshire invested so much faith in Critchley, 23, that they gave him a four-year contract and funded his winters in Sydney where he was coached by the former Australian wrist-spinner Stuart MacGill. Critchley does not yet have MacGill’s googly - that would have come in useful in finishing off the home side’s tail to give Derbyshire that elusive innings victory - or his patience, as he has been forced to bowl so many T20 overs, but he does have the pace and the legbreak to dismiss good batsmen. Critchley is also a capable batsman, having become the youngest Derbyshire player at 18 to score a first-class hundred.

Stuart MacGill of Australia is congratulated by Ricky Ponting after taking the wicket of Steven Harmison of the ICC World XI during day four of the Johnnie Walker Super Series Test between Australia and the ICC World XI played at the Sydney Cricket Ground on October 17, 2005 in Sydney - GETTY IMAGES
Stuart MacGill of Australia is congratulated by Ricky Ponting after taking the wicket of Steven Harmison of the ICC World XI during day four of the Johnnie Walker Super Series Test between Australia and the ICC World XI played at the Sydney Cricket Ground on October 17, 2005 in Sydney - GETTY IMAGES

Derbyshire have recently extended Critchley’s contract by two years. That may not stop Surrey popping a contract in the post as soon as they are allowed, but it would be very harsh on Derbyshire to lose a player in whom they have invested so much, now he is starting to blossom.

It was only last week that Leicester’s pubs and restaurants opened for the first time since March, after more than 5000 Covid-19 cases were reported in the city. To meet medical requirements, the home side changed in the Meet - the old supporters’ shed - and ate in the pavilion, while Derbyshire changed at the opposite end of the ground and ate in the indoor nets. The traditional changing rooms in the pavilion were too small and close to each other to allow social distancing but the visitors' excellent all-round cricket ensured a large gap between the sides.