Smith chokes in tied game
Cricket Web XI vs Derbyshire - OD - New Road
Scorecard
Ball by Ball
Daniel Smith capped a dramatic chase with a stunning failure to score off the final ball of the match, as Derbyshire tied with Cricket Web XI at New Road. Smith scored an unbeaten 23 off 22 balls, but could not lead his team to victory over his home country. After he combined with Rikki Clarke for 15 runs off Dave Watt in the penultimate over, he struggled to dispatch the clinical yorkers by Liam Camps jr., who bowled the 50th over of the innings.
Chris Taylor (92) and Wavell Hinds (66) earlier set up the run chase of 229 in damp conditions, adding 130 runs for the second wicket. The left-armer Kingsley Clapham removed Stubbings at the top of the innings, caught at second slip by Chaulk for 21. He returned later on to star for the CW XI in pulling back the game to parity with the wickets of Hinds and Pathan. The chase wound down to 44 runs needed from the last 36 balls at one point, but with 8 wickets in hand, and even in difficult conditions, Derbyshire remained in command.
Thus it was with huge celebration that the Webheads later celebrated the dismissal of Hinds, caught smartly at backward point after a good innings. The Indian allrounder Irfan Pathan was promoted to increase the momentum toward victory, but scored just a single before he nicked Clapham behind. The requirement then stood at 20 from the final 2 overs, and once again CW XI were in keen contention. A couple of Watt full tosses later left Derbyshire needing only 5 to win. With Dan Smith the key man at the resolution of the game, CW XI stand-in captain Fuller tossed the ball to Camps with the charge of responsibility. The gamble paid off brilliantly.
Before the soft mediocrity of the CW XI attack was exposed by the Derbyshire batsmen, the tourists struggled to dominate with the bat and could only manage 229 when bowled out in the 46th over. James Stedman (31) showed signs of fluency at the top of the innings, before Ash Chaulk (48) and Liam Camps (44) built the innings solidly. But the middle order faded after the unlikely Smith struck twice quickly with his innocuous medium pace. Again there were many starts, but as against the England Lions, the batsmen never got into flow. Attempting to elevate their status at the crease, the lower order fell apart to the relative accuracy and smart catching of Derbyshire's finest.
Cricket Web XI are left with much work to be done before the start of the one-day international leg of their tour, with batting and bowling having failed to fire in either of the warmup fixtures.
Cricket Web XI 229 (45.3 overs)
AP Chaulk 48 (71), LA Camps 44 (52), JE Stedman 31 (45)
GG Wagg 4-43 (10), DP Smith 2-36 (6)
Derbyshire 229-4 (50 overs)
CR Taylor 92 (142), WW Hinds 66 (92), DP Smith 23* (22)
KR Clapham 3-47 (10), XPA Rose 1-41 (10)
Match tied.
Man of the Match: CR Taylor