Lancashire v Derbyshire T20

Derbyshire batted professionally, if not spectacularly today against Lancashire and at the halfway stage had posted a competitive, but not out of sight total of 163-6. All the batsmen contributed, without one of them going on to the big score that made have made the total 180-190.

You always have a chance with such a score, achieved by sensible rotation of the strike and fairly few dot balls, but it is then important to bowl tight at the start of the innings and the hosts got off to the flyer we really didn't want, reaching 32 in the third over before the first wicket fell and then getting to 93 in the 10th before we took another. Lancashire needed only common sense from there to take the points.

Yet we won! Amazingly (and thanks to fine death bowling from Langeveldt, Smith and Jones) Lancashire's innings withered and died, ending with them seven runs short at 156-6. While the defeat would not have ended our T20 interest, the win puts us in a good position for qualification, clear in fourth place in the group by two points from Yorkshire, who have played the same number of matches and who, of course, visit the County Ground for a potential decider next weekend. Assuming we're not through by then...

The fielding was also brilliant again, while Robin Peterson applied pressure in the mid innings after a crucial late onslaught with the bat (26 from eleven balls) that probably swung the match. There were also three vital wickets once again for Tim Groenewald who seems to improve with every match and is a key member of the Derbyshire attack.

Worcestershire are on the same points as Yorkshire but have only two games left, while Northamptonshire are also on that total after their remarkable tie with Nottinghamshire. They have a much inferior net run rate, however. Oh, and they also visit the County Ground next weekend...

Crikey, I need to go and lie down after that one. More tomorrow.

Well done lads! The double over Lancashire - who'd have believed it?