Derbyshire find a way back after a wayward beginning

DERBYSHIRE’S bowlers hauled their team back into the contest from the most unpromising of beginnings on the opening day of their LV County Championship match against Kent at the Incora County Ground.

A week earlier, Derbyshire were made to toil as Leicestershire piled up 528 in the first innings and, at lunch, they were staring down the barrel again as Kent cruised through the first session at 108-1.

That was after Billy Godleman put them in at the toss. The bowling was too erratic to extract whatever the skipper thought was there to exploit but they were better in the second session and very good in the third.

Ben Aitchison and Sam Conners tore through Kent with the second new ball, with the last three wickets falling in the space of six balls to leave the away side all out for 285 and the unfortunate Jack Leaning stranded on 82 not out.

The one down side of that late burst of wickets was that it left two overs before the close for Derbyshire to face and it cost them their first wicket, Harry Came playing on to Grant Stewart at 1-1.

Was it faith in his bowlers or lack of confidence in his batting that swayed Godleman at the toss? Either way, it looked a decent decision when Jordan Cox played on to Aitchison at 16-1 in the fourth over but less so as Zak Crawley and Daniel Bell-Drummond took over.

The Kent pair did well by waiting for and putting away the loose balls that came too often, though Crawley did have lives on 41 and 47. He was dropped by wicketkeeper Brooke Guest off Anuj Dal and by Dustin Melton at short cover off Matt Critchley.

The England batsman did reach his half-century but was leadenfooted cutting at Melton in the fourth over after lunch and went for 53. It included seven fours but was not an innings to suggest a late campaign to earn back his Test place.

Bull-Drummond found the boundary 12 times in his 69 before edging Dal to first slip Wayne Madsen at 142-3 and Derbyshire had hope again.

However, Leaning and Sam Billings kept them out until tea and the total was 237-3 before Billings gave a head-high return catch to Dal to leave for 36.

Ollie Robinson was stumped off Critchley at 242-5 but the new ball did most damage.

Conners, as he does, struck with the first ball with it to find lift and Stewart’s glove, then Harry Podmore pushed at Aitchison and was caught low at second slip by Madsen.

It was all over when Nathan Gilchrist was well picked up by Aitchison at first slip off Conners and Aitchison made it three wickets in six balls by removing James Logan and Jas Singh.

The new ball brought 5-19, with Aitchison taking 4-83 and Conners 2-67. Dal deserves an honorable mention, too, for his 2-29 when the going was toughest.

Derbyshire could have done without that late wicket but they are in this game and have not been able to say that often enough this season.