Derbyshire secure draw easily after Madsen century
THE rain relented for the last day of Derbyshire’s fourth Vitality County Championship match of the season, away to Yorkshire, and with Wayne Madsen reaching their first century of the campaign, Aneurin Donald scoring 97, Brooke Guest 75 and Zak Chappell a vigorous 78, they secured a comfortable draw.
They finished with 447 all out, only three behind Yorkshire’s 450-5 declared, which had seemed a remote prospect at 23-3 on the second day, and the home side were 59-1 when they called time on the match.
Matthew Fishe gave Yorkshire early hope when he uprooted Guest’s off stump with one that kept low in the day’s second over.
Madsen was particularly strong through the covers off the back foot en-route to his hundred off 224 balls, his 44th all-format century for the county.
He showed no signs of discomfort with regard to his hand injury but fielding may be more tricky.
It was a giveaway wicket when he top-edged a slog-sweep at Joe Root to midwicket to hand Yorkshire their second wicket of the morning, at 237-5 in the 78th over.
The new ball was taken shortly afterwards, but it did not work as the hosts would have hoped, despite two late-morning scalps for Jordan Thompson.
Seamer Thompson trapped Anuj Dal lbw for 18 and had Alex Thomson caught at midwicket for five.
With Derbyshire 297-7 at the break, though, they were all but safe with the follow on target of 301 close.
Donald added 54 for the sixth wicket with Dal and an exhilarating 109 for the eighth with Chappell, who had some fun with the pressure off during the afternoon.
There was some afternoon confusion surrounding Donald’s score.
At one stage, he had been credited with four more runs, having been caught at long-leg off a Thompson no ball
It initially looked as if umpire Hassan Adnan had signalled four as well as a no ball, but it was later corrected between the umpires and scorers.
It had been corrected before he edged Root behind on the cut, the same bowler ending the innings when he trapped Pat Brown lbw for a career best 15.
Chappell had smacked four leg-side sixes – three off Root – and eight fours in reaching his 78 from 61 balls before gloving a Fisher short ball to gully.
The only thing which was left to achieve was for Derbyshire to improve an over-rate of minus three.
They did so either side of tea through the spin of Thomson and Harry Came.
Captain David Lloyd trapped Fin Bean lbw for 33.