Billy’s best score lifts Falcons to a place in the top four
BILLY Godleman’s best score in the Vitality Blast fired Derbyshire to successive wins and into the top four of the North Group.
They beat Worcestershire Rapids by 20 runs at the Pattonair County Ground with Godleman hitting 92 from 65 balls and Luis Reece 51 in the Falcons’ imposing 181-2.
Former Derbyshire batsman Martin Guptill hit 45 from 40 balls but leg-spinner Matt Critchley celebrated his 23rd birthday by taking 4-36 as the Rapids fell to 161-7.
It looked promising for the visitors when Dillon Pennington opened with a maiden but that was the calm before the storm as Godleman reeled off a salvo of boundaries in the next two overs.
Wayne Parnell’s first ball was launched over the long-off boundary and Pennington was driven for three consecutive fours before Reece dispatched Parnell several rows back into the City End stand.
The Falcons took 57 from the power-play and the runs continued to flow as the openers rotated the strike with the Rapids rarely threatening to take a wicket.
Godleman reached 50 from 29 balls and after the Falcons got to the halfway point on 87 without loss, the pair scored freely without taking any undue risks.
Reece pulled Joe Leach for his sixth four to bring up his 50 from 38 balls and the Rapids had to wait until the 16th over for the breakthrough, which came when Reece drilled Daryl Mitchell to cover.
But they had slowed the scoring rate, although Godleman passed his previous highest T20 score of 77 by lifting Ed Barnard over wide midwicket for his ninth four.
Wayne Madsen drove Parnell for six but after Godleman failed to clear the man on the deep cover boundary, Leus du Plooy hit the last two balls from Pat Brown for four.
Although the Falcons looked on course for 200, the Rapids faced a tough chase which became harder when the dangerous Riki Wessels failed to respond to Guptill’s call and was run out in the second over.
Callum Ferguson cut and drove Fynn Hudson-Prentice for consecutive fours but at 47-1 at the end of the powerplay, the Rapids had to live up to their name if they were going to get close.
Ferguson powered Boyd Rankin high over midwicket for six and pulled the next ball for four before Guptill drove Reece for six over longon to leave the Rapids needing 100 from the last 10.
But the introduction of Critchley proved decisive as Ferguson drove him to long-on, Guptill was bowled trying to cut and Parnell, after driving him for six, failed to clear longoff when he tried to repeat the shot.
Ben Cox and Barnard drove him for big sixes but the night belonged the Falcons.