DeFreitas and Cork turn the tables

Derbyshire 222-6 Northamptonshire 132 Derbyshire win by 90 runs

A few more days like this and Northamptonshire's season will be in ruins. They came to the last day in June top of the Sunday League and with a Lord's final less than two weeks away and on Saturday they had won their first championship match of the season. This morning, they are second in the Sunday League.

Rob Bailey won the toss on a strange-looking, piebald surface which was most unlikely to get any easier for batting as the day went on. Bailey was confident, however, that it would not deteriorate and chose to field first.

For 35 overs Northamptonshire appeared to be moving easily towards their seventh Sunday victory when suddenly it all came badly unstuck. Phillip DeFreitas and Dominic Cork had come together at 146-6 in the 34th over and proceeded to add 74 in the last five overs.

David Capel bowled the 36th and without any obvious effort DeFreitas picked him up over midwicket for six and then drove him for four. Bailey took over the attack himself and DeFreitas helped himself to 22 from an over which produced 24.

DeFreitas's 61 came from 33 balls with three sixes and five fours and he and Cork had given Derbyshire a total to defend.

Northamptonshire's deterioration continued. In the sixth over of their innings Russell Warren came down the pitch to Kevin Deanand was caught behind. After playing two spanking cover drives, Curran thrashed at Dean and Tim O'Gorman held an outstanding catch low in front of him at deep cover. When Matthew Vandrau came on to bowl his off-breaks he was immediately swept for six by Bailey but he had the last word. He began to turn the ball a long way.

Mal Loye played a loose forward stroke and was bowled off inside edge and foot, Bailey pushed firmly forward to another and gave an easy catch to cover while Tim Walton drove all round a third and was bowled. Vandrau took 3 for 30 in his eight overs.

It was already as good as over for Northamptonshire but to make sure, DeFreitas, bowling quickish off-breaks, found plenty of turn to bowl David Sales and Emburey.

In the Championship match which ended on Saturday Northamptonshire received surprisingly good marks for the pitch from the umpires who are much less likely to agree that this was even an adequate surface for a one-day game.