Cricket: DeFreitas crushes Lancashire

Derbyshire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .490-6 dec

Lancashire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83 and 29-0

DERBYSHIRE were barracked here yesterday by a holiday crowd deeply unimpressed by the captain Kim Barnett's decision to bat on until tea. It was a grind all right and seemingly an aimless one during the afternoon session, which produced only 85 runs. But if the motive was to thoroughly demoralise Lancashire, the tactic paid off.

At last allowed to begin their first-innings reply, the home side reeled from three early blows and never came back off the ropes. They were dismissed for 83 in 24 overs, Phillip DeFreitas finishing with 6 for 39 from 12 after a fine exhibition of new-ball bowling against his old club. Lancashire were required to follow on 407 runs behind and will do very well indeed to be still playing on Monday.

Barnett's delight at hearing the locals stunned into silence with Mike Atherton, Jason Gallian and John Crawley all gone for 20 became more pronounced still when DeFreitas snuffed out an embryonic Lancashire recovery by removing Neil Fairbrother and Graham Lloyd in the space of three deliveries. Resistance thereafter was nil, the last five wickets adding a mere five runs.

After a summer of revitalised form after his move from Lancashire in the close season, DeFreitas did not need to impress Brian Bolus, the England selector in attendance, but did so anyway, bowling with venom and control. The man of the series for England against New Zealand, he is carrying his form forward in a way that will put his team-mates in good heart for the first encounter with South Africa at Lord's next week.

As Bolus observed, a bowler in this kind of form can often inspire the man at the other end. Certainly it appeared to have the desired effect on Devon Malcolm, who must fight to regain his Test place now. His 4 for 43 included Atherton and Crawley.

Derbyshire's day had begun with a disappointment for Tim O'Gorman, who added five before falling three short of equalling his career best. However Adrian Rollins, with whom O'Gorman shared 143 runs for the fifth wicket, went on to compose Derbyshire's third innings of substance.