Reece hoping his hot streak can catch Northants cold
NORTH PREVIEW
THE North Group is on a knife edge at the halfway stage and DERBYSHIRE are hoping to use home advantage when they take on champions NORTHAMPTONSHIRE tonight.
Derbyshire are sitting on eight points as they jostle with seven other sides, all in realistic contention of qualifying for the quarterfinals.
A career-best 97 from 55 deliveries for Luis Reece helped steer the Falcons to victory over LANCASHIRE by 35 runs last time out.
And the all-rounder is revelling in his good form this year as they face a crucial spell of fixtures in the t20 Blast.
He said: “I’ve felt in great nick all year but it’s been a bit disjointed for me with injury and illness so it’s nice to have a run of games and the freedom to go out and play the way I want to play T20 cricket.
“We’re halfway through the tournament now and we’ve probably got half the amount of wins we need to qualify so this week is quite big for us.
“If we can get a couple of wins from these home games that will set us up quite nicely but we’ve got to keep improving because we know we can tighten up in a few areas.”
Derbyshire face Northants before taking on rivals LEICESTERSHIRE just two days later as the race for a top four finish intensifies.
WARWICKSHIRE are looking to make it three wins in a row when they face YORKSHIRE at Edgbaston.
Wicketkeeper Alex Mellor has loved his return to the Bears side, helping Warwickshire to wins over Derbyshire and Leicestershire, and has thanked Ian Bell for putting faith in his ability.
The 26-year-old said: “I have really enjoyed being back in the team. Ian Bell has put a lot of trust in me and I am just enjoying going out there and offering what I can. He just wants a lot of energy and buzz from me to help keep the boys going all the way through.
“Now we have got another huge game against Yorkshire Vikings and, hopefully, we can put another win on the board and continue this little run we have put together.
“Yorkshire are a good side but if we can keep doing what we are doing and putting the performances together then we can get keep getting the big wins.
“It is fantastic working with these guys, not just in matches but training with them day-in and day-out.
“Just talking to them and learning from them is a great thing to be able to do. They have played at the highest level and it’s awesome to be able to learn from them.”
Elsewhere, LANCASHIRE will be looking to bounce back from their defeat at Derbyshire last time out when they take on NOTTINGHAMSHIRE at Old Trafford.
The 2015 champions have thrust Liam Livingstone into an opening batsman position as they look to wrestle back their title from two years ago.
And the 23-year-old, who played two T20 internationals for England last month, produced his highest T20 score of 61 in their victory over Durham last week.
But after making 44 against Derbyshire, Livingstone admits he is still learning the role.
“I’ve taken a little while to be used to being back opening, as I try to find the right formula,” he said.
“It’s all part of me progressing and learning through my career, I’ll just have to learn a bit quicker sometimes.”
Leicestershire are looking to bounce back from their 30run defeat at the hands of Warwickshire when they take on bottom side DURHAM, who will then travel to WORCESTERSHIRE on Sunday.