Derbyshire win Royal London Cup thriller off last ball to beat Leicestershire and the rain

BILLY Godleman scored a second century in consecutive innings as Derbyshire pulled off an exciting last-ball victory in a rain-affected Royal London Cup match against Leicestershire at the Fischer County Ground.
Billy Godleman.
(Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)Billy Godleman.
(Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)
Billy Godleman. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

With six needed to win off the final two balls, Leus Du Plooy pulled Leicestershire left-arm seamer Dieter Klein to the long leg boundary before pushing the final delivery back past the bowler.

Non-striker Matt Critchley, who had not faced a ball after coming in when Godleman had been run out off the first ball of that final over, completed the necessary second run by diving to make his ground.

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It meant Derbyshire (266-4 off 39 overs) won under the DLS method as they chased Leicestershire’s 312-8 (50 overs).

Godleman’s 106, made from 115 balls, means Derbyshire’s captain has now scored 306 runs in the competition this season in just three innings.

Godleman chose to bowl first after winning the toss, and was rewarded when opposite number Paul Horton’s attempt to guide a Madsen delivery to third man was smartly caught by Harvey Hosein behind the stumps.

Harry Dearden played confidently in going to 36 off 39 balls, only to loft an off-drive at left-arm spinner Mark Watt straight into the hands of Godleman at mid-off, and Mark Cosgrove had also established himself at the crease when he chipped a gentle Luis Reece delivery low to Madsen at mid-wicket.

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When Louis Hill drove Critchley’s leg-spin straight to Madsen at extra cover Leicestershire’s innings was in danger of subsiding, but Tom Taylor joined Colin Ackermann in adding 78 for the fifth wicket before more good work from Hosein saw the former Derbyshire man Taylor stumped off the medium pace of Alex Hughes.

Ackermann continued to work the ball nicely into the gaps, however, unfurling the occasional big straight hit as he went a second consecutive century of his own before holing out to midwicket off Reece for 119.

With 11 overs lost to rain, Godleman ensured his side were always ahead on the Duckworth Lewis Stern method until his run-out after a mix up with Du Plooy almost derailed what had appeared to be a straightforward chase.