Following a convincing nine-wicket victory against Middlesex at Derby, Derbyshire surged to the top of Group A in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup, thanks in large part to a century from Harry Came.
Came and Luis Reece, both eighty-eight, laid the stage for Derbyshire’s second victory in the tournament with an opening partnership of 216 off 202 balls. Middlesex suffered a second loss when Derbyshire completed their target of 267 with seven overs remaining, led by Came, who was undefeated at 110 from 130 balls.
Middlesex was led by Joe Cracknell with 56, but they were badly damaged by losing three wickets in 19 balls. Martin Anderrson made 46, and the lower order added 47 runs to the total, with Daryn Dupavillon getting three for 47.
Upon entering the game, Middlesex were headed for a higher score until a breakdown in the middle order compelled them to reorganize over the second half of the innings. In the tenth over, Sam Robson seemed set until Sam Conners got some late movement and caught him for 32 off 28 balls.
Although Cracknell was dropped at slip off Dupavillon on 33, he struggled at first until he got going with a pulled six off Conners. England Harry Moore, an Under-19 fast bowler, once again showed off his composure when he got Nathan Fernandes caught behind in the 17th over.
After Mark Stoneman got off to a solid start and Cracknell completed his fifty from 74 balls by hitting Reece over midwicket for his seventh four, Middlesex were in a good position at 117 for 2. However, to reduce the visitors to 131 for 5, Stoneman then skied a wide ball from Dupvaillon, Jack Davies skied a pull to deep midwicket, and Cracknell missed a sweep at Samit Patel.
In order to get their team up to a competitive total, Andersson and Luke Hollman had to control their aggression. Nevertheless, they maneuvered the ball around to add 61 from 77 balls. When Hollman cut Moore to point, his comeback broke the stand, but Josh De Caires assisted Anderrson in pushing Middlesex closer to 250.
By hitting him over far off for six, he reduced Patel’s figures, but the Derbyshire captain answered by bowled Andersson as he created room to cut. Before he trapped Zak Chappell deep in midwicket, De Caires struck 23 from 19 balls, but Middlesex had regained the lead.
They needed to bowl well right away to have a chance of building on the comeback, but in their first overs, Noah Cornwell and Blake Cullen each let up five wides. Before Reece could drive the final ball past mid off for four, he pulled Cullen into the parking lot and whipped him over the ropes at long leg in his second over.
Reece and Came cruised along at six an over, Middlesex trying to control them, while Ethan Bamber threw out five wides in his opening over as well. Reece scored his fifty runs in forty-eight balls, while Came reached his fifty-seven off seventy-two after hitting his sixth four off Cornwell.
The openers took full advantage of Stoneman’s bowler rotation, with Came hitting Hollman for six in the thirtyth over. The wicket was eventually breached when Reece was lbw when sweeping Hollman, but Derbyshire coasted home in the early evening sunshine as Came scored his century off 116 balls.
Read More: Lanning and Spirit outgun Perry and Phoenix at Lord’s
