REPORT & ARTHUR INTERVIEW: Derbyshire claim innings victory

Zak Chappell inspired Derbyshire to a first victory of the season when they finally overcame a spirited Northamptonshire rearguard in the Rothesay County Championship Division Two match at The Central Co-op County Ground.

The fast bowler took 4 for 53 and England spinner Shoaib Bashir claimed 3 for 70 to bowl the visitors out for 263 and wrap up victory by an innings and 113 runs deep into the final session on the fourth day.

George Bartlett made an unbeaten 65 from 175 balls and Nathan McSweeney batted for nearly three-and-a-half hours for 62 but it was not enough to deny Derbyshire a 23 point haul while Northamptonshire left with only a single point..

Although there was early morning rain in Derby, play was able to start on time under cloudy skies with the floodlights on which made for good bowling conditions.

There was some movement for the seamers and although Harry Conway stuck around for 20 minutes, a ball from Aitchison did enough to take his outside edge in the fifth over of the day.

Calvin Harrison had batted for just over five hours in the first innings and he again showed the application his team needed until Bashir struck in his second over of the day.

He got one to turn as Harrison pushed forward and Wayne Madsen made no mistake at slip to deliver a big blow to the visitors’ hopes of saving the game.

Derbyshire landed another one in the next over when Saif Zaib drove loosely at a ball he could have left  from Chappell and was caught behind.

It was a poor shot given the situation and there was another in the second over after lunch as Derbyshire closed in on victory.

James Sales aimed a big drive at Bashir the ball after he hit the spinner for four and edged into Madsen’s hands at slip.

Northamptonshire desperately needed a partnership and it was provided by McSweeney and Bartlett who both played with good judgement to frustrate the hosts for 25 overs.

McSweeney was struck a painful blow on the hand before edging Rory Haydon just past second slip to reach 50 but then survived a very sharp chance to short leg on 62.

It did not prove costly as a change of bowler did the trick with Chappell having him caught behind down the leg side three overs before tea.

Chappell took Derbyshire to the brink of victory when Lewis McManus played defensively only to see the ball spin back onto his stumps before Ben Sanderson was lbw.

Still Northants refused to go quietly with George Scrimshaw staying with Bartlett for 20 overs to raise hopes of a remarkable escape.

But Martin Andersson pinned Scrimshaw lbw with a full length ball with only 11 overs remaining in what had been an absorbing day of county championship cricket.

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