Lancashire Vs. Derbyshire FLt20

Moore knock defeats Falcons.

Stephen Moore hit 74 from 42 balls to guide
Lancashire to their third t20 victory.

Stephen Moore's 42-ball cameo saw the Lancashire opener hit an entertaining 74, with 5 fours and as many sixes, as he fell one run short of his previous best score in this seasons FLt20 versus Durham.

Lancashire reached a comfortable 12 run victory to claim their third win of the campaign, after losing to Derbyshire in the reverse fixture by seven wickets, making the win all the more enjoyable.

On the back of a successful championship match versus Northamptonshire, the hosts found the transition hard in the initial stages, stumbling to 34-3 inside the power play. Tom Smit fell LBW to a five-ball duck and in an attempt to charge the Falcons' bowlers Karl Brown (6) and Simon Katich (10) were both caught on the square-leg boundary.

Despite this indifferent start, Moore took responsibility for making up for lost time, scoring 23 in an over, hitting three sixes as he raced to a 38-ball fifty. Moore was eventually caught by Chesney Hughes and stand-in captain Steven Croft struggled his way to 22 before falling to the same fate.

Gareth Cross boosted the total further with 21 from 12 balls before he was dismissed by Mark Turner, who returned with figures of 4-35. Wickets continued to fall for the greater good, with Ashwell Prince, Kabir Ali and Mitch McClenaghan all dismissed in the closing stages of the innings. Arron Lilley and Simon Kerrigan struck boundaries down the ground to help the hosts reach 165-9.

In response Derbyshire posted a fast-paced 54 from their power play, with the only success being a seven ball duck for Hughes, who was out first ball in the reverse fixture, giving him a pair versus the Lightning.

Wes Durston proved to be belligerent, smashing 6 fours and 3 sixes inside 29 balls, but when he was trapped leg before to Simon Kerrigan two runs shy of a fifty the pendulum swung massively.

Lancashire were perfectly aware of the danger Shiv Chanderpaul (39) posed, after he smashed an unbeaten 87 the last time these two met and, in spite of a hamstring injury, he continued to play an array of shots reminiscent of Derbyshire's triumph.

Shortly after he had called for a runner, the West-Indies superstar was run out by a direct hit from McClenaghan, just he was beginning to look particularly dangerous.

After the saddening news that Stephen Parry may be out for the rest of the season with a broken forearm, it was reassuring to see Kerrigan and Lilley fill his seizable shoes successfully, as both spinners finished with 1-25 from their four-over allocation. The latter took the vital wicket of Albie Morkel (3) with Derbyshire 108-4 and competing against an ever-increasing run rate.

Lancashire's top wicket-taker, McClenaghan, also had an enjoyable evening, finishing with 2-26 as he removed the Derbyshire skipper, Wayne Madsen for 36 and Dan Redfern who was cleanly bowled by the Kiwi for 12.

Needing 21 from the final six deliveries, it was fair to say that the Lancashire faithful were feeling confident, especially after the tie versus Yorkshire and a narrow 4-run win against Leicestershire.

Derbyshire were unable to reach the gargantuan total and in failing to do so were leapfrogged in the Northern Group by Lancashire who now hold second place.