Yorkshire Vikings struck by T20 Vitality Blast ‘curse of Chesterfield’ again as Derbyshire Falcons swoop for final over victory

WOULD the curse of Chesterfield strike again?
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Each winter, Yorkshire’s supporters must look at the fixture list and think that the game at Queen’s Park is a good one to miss.

“Shall we take our summer holiday when that one’s on, Fred?”

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“Aye, alright Doris. How about we pay a visit to Lahore? Perhaps we could watch the Qalandars instead.”

Captain Harry Brook top-scored with 77 for Yorkshire Vikings at Chesterfield but it couldn't prevent defeat to Derbyshire Falcons on Saturday. Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.comCaptain Harry Brook top-scored with 77 for Yorkshire Vikings at Chesterfield but it couldn't prevent defeat to Derbyshire Falcons on Saturday. Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com
Captain Harry Brook top-scored with 77 for Yorkshire Vikings at Chesterfield but it couldn't prevent defeat to Derbyshire Falcons on Saturday. Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com

While Doris and Fred headed for the sunny sub-continent, or perhaps to South Africa to watch Multiply Titans, pessimists and dyed-in-the-wool optimists headed for deepest Derbyshire, fearing the worst but hoping for the best.

Sure enough, at a venue where they had lost their last four T20 games dating back to 2015, the curse struck again as Derbyshire won a rain-affected contest by six wickets with two balls remaining, much to the delight of most in a sell-out crowd of around 5,000.

After Yorkshire scored 175 from their 20 overs, Harry Brook top-scoring with 77, his third half-century in this year’s competition, the hosts chased a revised target of 105 in 10 overs after a delay of around one-and-three-quarter-hours.

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Leus du Plooy, the South African left-hander, lashed an unbeaten 48 from 20 balls with five fours and three sixes, including 18 runs from the final over bowled by Matthew Waite, from which 19 runs were needed, the other run a wide. Du Plooy hit the first and last balls of the over for six, raising his hands in triumph as the winning runs sailed over square-leg.

Yorkshire Vikings'  Finn Allen smashed 37 from just 17 balls at Chesterfield. Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.comYorkshire Vikings'  Finn Allen smashed 37 from just 17 balls at Chesterfield. Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com
Yorkshire Vikings' Finn Allen smashed 37 from just 17 balls at Chesterfield. Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com

Shan Masood, the Derbyshire captain, chipped in with 34 from 24 balls with five fours, the match ending amid rain that returned with a vengeance and left the ground saturated not long after the close.

Defeat was Yorkshire’s fourth in 10 T20 games and a blow to their hopes of reaching the quarter-finals, although hardly a terminal one with four matches left, starting with Thursday’s game against Worcestershire at New Road.

After Brook lost the toss on an initially pleasant afternoon, albeit with the temperature some way down from the 30-degree heat of the previous day, Yorkshire were asked to take first use of a good wicket at a ground where they last prevailed in 20-over cricket in 2014.

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Adam Lyth took a single off the first ball of the game and then Finn Allen hit his first ball for one of the biggest sixes that one could possibly see – big not so much in terms of distance, but certainly in terms of height as Hayden Kerr was launched over long-on in the direction of the miniature railway.

Yorkshire's Dom Leech (left) took three Derbyshnire wickets at Chesterfield. Picture: Owen Humphreys/PAYorkshire's Dom Leech (left) took three Derbyshnire wickets at Chesterfield. Picture: Owen Humphreys/PA
Yorkshire's Dom Leech (left) took three Derbyshnire wickets at Chesterfield. Picture: Owen Humphreys/PA

Lyth also struck a six before the first over was out, just wide of the electronic scoreboard at backward-square, and two more sixes followed from Allen in the second over when Sam Conners was sliced over third-man and then pulled over backward-square high into the trees, resulting in a lost ball and a two-minute delay.

Lyth fell to the opening ball of the third over, bowled trying to hit the left-arm spinner Mark Watt over the top, and Watt struck again with his fifth delivery when Tom Kohler-Cadmore was bowled aiming through the covers, Watt starting with the rarity of a double-wicket maiden.

Allen smashed his fourth six when Mattie McKiernan was pinged towards the pavilion, but the leg-spinner got his revenge from the final ball of the over, the last of the powerplay, when Allen picked out deep mid-wicket, departing for 37 from 17 balls to leave Yorkshire 62-3 after six.

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Shadab Khan chipped in with 26 from 16 balls, including a six over long-on off McKiernan, before the Pakistan all-rounder played on to Watt, and Yorkshire fell to 126-5 in the 13th over when Will Fraine lofted Alex Hughes to long-on.

Yorkshire’s innings ran out of steam and, ultimately, out of wickets, too, as they were dismissed from the final ball of their allocation, the last five wickets going down for six runs in 11 deliveries.

Brook was caught at long-on off Kerr, who then had Waite taken at long-off, before George Scrimshaw rounded off the innings with three wickets in five balls.

The giant pace bowler, who bears more than a passing resemblance to Steven Finn, and something of the same high skill too, had Jordan Thompson pouched at long-leg, trapped Dom Bess leg-before and then had a pulling Matty Revis caught behind.

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Only two balls of the Derbyshire reply were possible before the heavens opened, Masood working Bess into the leg-side for a single and Luis Reece cutting him for four, at which point the scoreboard remained stuck on 5-0 for what seemed an age.

When play finally resumed, with the groundstaff having worked tirelessly to get the cricket back on, Reece lofted Dom Leech’s first ball over long-leg for six towards the miniature railway, only for the burgeoning pace bowler to hit back with two wickets in four balls as Reece was trapped leg-before and Wayne Madsen caught behind for a third-ball duck.

Masood and du Plooy added 62 in 35 balls before Masood sliced Leech to Bess at backward-point, the fielder injuring himself in taking the catch and hobbling off with a jarred right knee, assisted by support staff.

Shadab had Brooke Guest caught by Lyth on the long-on boundary, but du Plooy won it as the curse of Chesterfield showed no sign of ending.

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