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CC2: Leicestershire thank Cleary

Sunday, June 6 2004

Leicestershire v Derbyshire, Oakham School
No heroics from Walker this time

Derbyshire fought long and hard in this contest which they were never really in, yet they came within an hour of saving thanks to obdurate defence by overnight batsmen Luke Sutton and Graeme Welch.

When the Leicestershire players trooped out into the field at Oakham School on the morning of day 4, of this championship match against local rivals Derbyshire, they could be forgiven for thinking that they would have their feet up by lunchtime.

It was a quite different Derbyshire altogether who came out to bat, though, from the one which had capitulated so easily in the first innings, at least until Nicholas Walker had written his name indelibly in the Derbyshire record books with the third half-century by a Derbyshire number 11 in over 100 years yet conversely his personal second in a fortnight.

Resuming at 123-4, Sutton and Welch resisted in a fifth wicket partnership which just went on and on. First of all lunch was safely negotiated, then the century partnership, then the follow-on total. Leicestershire skipper Phil DeFreitas rotated his bowlers but still the pair held firm - until with Derbyshire ahead by nine, Mark Cleary trapped Sutton in front.

The Derbyshire keeper had kept Leicestershire at bay for 283 minutes in compiling his 58 and given the visitors real hope of still saving the game. Cleary, though, had other ideas. In a performance of a lifetime, he chipped away at the now open end, poking and probing, looking for weakness.

Botha went cheaply, edging Cleary through to keeper Paul Nixon DeFreitas removed Mohamad Sheikh and Kevin Dean stuck around for half an hour, allowing Graeme Welch to graft his way closer to a maiden first-class century. After Dean departed, again caught behind off Cleary, Welch was joined at the wicket by Walker.

Welch successfully passed 100 for the first time in his career, Walker smashed a couple of fours as Derbyshire's lead grew but was unable to repeat the heroics of the previous day. When he went, clean bowled for 10 and with Chris Rogers unable to bat following his injury sustained on Friday, Mark Cleary had produced lifetime figures of his own with an astonishing 7-80.

Leicestershire were left with the seeming formality of 82 to win in 22 overs, and when Sheikh had Maunders caught for a couple and given their own occasional frailties, they might have been forgiven for being somewhat edgy. Hodge and Robinson blasted Kevin Dean out of the attack in a whirlwind assault which saw the left arm seamer disappear to all parts, but then the jitters set in once more.

Robinson, Hodge and Nixon were all removed in quick succession before a couple of lusty blows by Maddy saw the home side limp over the finishing line in a match which 24 hours earlier they looked to be winning at a canter.

Leicestershire 534
Hodge 221, Robinson 64, Botha 3-92, Dean 3-111
and 83-4
Botha 2-28, Sheikh 2-30
Derbyshire 291
Walker 63*, Bassano 62, Stubbings 50, Dagnall 4-37, DeFreitas 3-37
and 323
Welch 115*, Stubbings 66, Sutton 58, Cleary 7-80

Leicestershire (22pts) beat Derbyshire (4pts) by 6 wickets

Glamorgan v Somerset, Swansea
Welsh romp home despite early setback

When Glamorgan resumed on their overnight 46-0 in search of a further 166 runs which would bring them victory, they lost opener Mark Wallace without adding to his 5, caught by Neil Edwards off the bowling of Nixon McLean.

David Hemp joined first innings centurion Matthew Elliott in the middle and the pair cruised along in a second wicket partnership worth 109, putting the match almost beyond doubt.

Glamorgan's surge to victory was rudely interrupted on 159 as first Hemp departed, caught by Somerset skipper Michael Burns off the bowling of Ian Blackwell for his second half-century of the match, then without addition Elliott departed, 13 short of a second hundred of the game when he fell victim to Keith Dutch, caught by Robert Turner.

The wobbles were eased by Mike Powell and Matthew Maynard who added the requisite 54 runs in a fourth wicket partnership in just 42 minutes as Glamorgan climbed to second in the table, still unbeaten in the longer version of the game and hard on the heels of Notts.

Somerset 229
Blackwell 64, Hildreth 61, Harrison 5-48, Croft 3-44
and 370
Blackwell 131, Burns 54, Cox 50, Wharf 3-58, Croft 3-78
Glamorgan 388
Elliott 157, Hemp 66, Johnson 4-83, McLean 4-91
and 212-3
Elliott 87, Hemp 57

Glamorgan (21pts) beat Somerset(4pts) by 7 wickets

Essex v Yorkshire, Chelmsford
Yorkshire wrap up easy victory

It took Chris Silverwood and Steven kirby just moments to prise out the last two wickets at Chelmsford yesterday as Yorkshire moved away from the foot of the championship table with an easy victory over Essex.

Resuming on 108-8, the home side lost former tyke Darren Gough to Chris Silverwood and Graham Napier to Steven Kirby in successive overs to lose what had been for the first two and a half days, an absorbing contest.

Yorkshire 363
Jaques 115, McGrath 93, Kaneria 6-121
and 249
Lehmann 86, Wood 81, Kaneria 7-65
Essex 359
Irani 107, Habib 80, Silverwood 3-84, Kirby 3-86
and 116
Lehmann 4-35, Silverwood 3-18

Yorkshire (21pts) beat Essex (7 pts) by 137 runs.


Posted by Eddie