Billy Godleman leads Derbyshire thrashing of Leicestershire as Blast quarter-finals loom

A nine-wicket win for the Falcons means they are all-but assured of a top-four finish in the North Division while the Foxes have work to do

Grace Road: Leicestershire 124-9, Derbyshire 128-1 - Derbyshire won by nine wickets

Scorecard

Derbyshire Falcons all but sealed qualification for the quarter-finals of the Vitality Blast after comprehensively beating East Midlands neighbours Leicestershire Foxes by nine wickets in the crucial North Group clash at the Fischer County Ground.

Captain Billy Godleman led the way with an unbeaten half-century, his third of the competition, after seeing his side dismiss the Foxes for just 124.

Leicestershire captain Colin Ackermann opted to bat first after winning the toss, and it was quickly apparent that the pitch, which had been used for the match against the Nottinghamshire Outlaws two days earlier, appeared to have quickened up under glorious sunshine. It certainly suited Mark Cosgrove, who looked in sublime form, stroking seven fours through the off-side and clubbing a huge straight six during a power play that yielded 59 runs.

He did lose two partners, Harry Swindells caught behind and Arron Lilley caught at mid-off, but the game turned when Ackermann, having clipped a Matt Critchley delivery straight to Logan Van Beek at backward point, looked up to see Cosgrove half-way down the wicket.

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Quite what the Australian was thinking was hard to fathom, as Van Beek threw the ball back to Critchley and Cosgrove was left standing in mid-pitch, his 45 having come from just 27 balls.

The shift in momentum from that point was dramatic. With Alex Hughes and Critchley taking the pace off the ball, just 17 runs came off the next five overs, and wickets continued to fall to ill-chosen shots. Ackermann holed out to long-on, Lewis Hill was bowled making room to cut and Aadil Ali was caught at long-on, leaving the tail to gather what runs it could.

When Derbyshire batted, Godleman and Luis Reece took 24 off the third over of the reply, bowled by left-arm paceman Dieter Klein, and from that point, there was never any concern for the visitors, though they did lose Reece, caught at long-on.

Leicestershire’s travails continued in the field, Hill dropping the most straightforward of chances to dismiss Wayne Madsen behind the wicket before the South African helped Godleman see the Falcons over the line in the penultimate over.

Courtesy of the ECB Reporters Network.

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