da marjack bet： Leicestershire made a winning start to their NatWest T20 Blast campaign onFriday as a half-century from Scott Styris helped them to a 27-run victory overDerbyshire at Grace Road
da poker： Press Association16-May-2014
ScorecardJosh Cobb gave good support to Scott Styris•PA Photos
Leicestershire made a winning start to their NatWest T20 Blast campaign onFriday as a half-century from Scott Styris helped them to a 27-run victory overDerbyshire at Grace Road.The three-time winners, inserted by their opponents, recovered from the earlyloss of Niall O’Brien to post 197 for 4 in their 20 overs.Styris was the star of the show, with an unbeaten knock of 63 off 31 balls thatincluded seven fours and three sixes, while there were also importantcontributions from captain Josh Cobb (38), Greg Smith (35) and Ned Eckersley(33).Marcus North then starred for Derbyshire posting 90 off 47 balls, in which hestruck consecutive sixes three times and also hit six fours, but it was notenough as the visitors ended up on 170 for 7.Things had begun in concerning fashion for Leicestershire, just the second ballof the match seeing Niall O’Brien go for a golden duck, caught by Tim Groenewald offMark Footitt.But after that, they soon got into their stride as Cobb – who struck threesixes – and Smith produced a fine array of shots to put on a second-wicket standof 69.Cobb then fell victim to Wes Durston, stumped by Gareth Cross but the Foxescontinued to make decent progress before Smith looped a Chesney Hughes deliveryto Shivnarine Chanderpaul.It was at that point that Styris entered the fray and he lost his partner inthe 16th over, Eckersley caught at mid-off by Durston off the bowling ofJonathan Clare.Styris and Tom Wells (13 not out) then saw out the remaining overs unscathed.It was not long before Derbyshire’s reply was in trouble, Nathan Buck makingthe breakthrough in the third over by sending Hughes’ (seven) middle stumpcartwheeling.Buck soon had his second wicket as O’Brien caught Stephen Moore (24) andChanderpaul was gone for a duck in the following over, bowled by AnthonyIreland.Derbyshire then stabilised a little, North and Durston (28) putting on 70 forthe fourth wicket, before the latter was dismissed by a superb one-handed divingcatch by Cobb off Buck, who finished with 3 for 26.Cross (two) was then caught on the boundary by Rob Taylor off Jigar Naik, butNorth kept going and appeared set for a possible one-man rescue job until he wasbowled by Ireland in the 18th over with Derbyshire on 153.Groenewald was subsequently run out by Cobb in the final over as Leicestershiresaw out the win.
