Watch Your Heads, Falcons Flying High

AFTER four successive defeats, Derbyshire Falcons well and truly found their mojo last week with three straight wins that saw them rocket up the North Group table.

- Richard Dore

Derbyshire’s turnaround was sparked by the mid-July win at Northants, kindled by victory over Leicestershire on Friday and roared into an inferno with a double over Yorkshire.

Falcons fans may be singing ‘can we play you every week’ after two wins over the Vikings in three days, Monday’s match seeing the East-Midlanders triumph by 77 runs at Headingley in a rain-shortened match.

Derbyshire’s largest T20 winning margin was inspired by Wayne Madsen’s 66 from 28 and realised with three wickets apiece for Lockie Ferguson, Alex Hughes and Hardus Viljoen, the hosts back in the changing rooms after 14 overs.

“It was quite important after our batters batted so well to get early wickets,” said paceman Ferguson, who led an attack that saw Ravi Rampaul take four wickets against the same opposition on Saturday.

“With our attack, we have four pretty quick fast bowlers and it’s nice to see someone different each game doing the job. It was Ravi [Rampaul] on Saturday with a four-fer, but then here he only bowled one over which shows our depth. It’s very pleasing.

“I think ten an over was about par on that wicket in a reduced game. It was a nice wicket to bowl on with good carry. It’s one of those wickets if you get a good start you can post a big total.

“It’s one of those things in T20, if you get early wickets you can swing things in your favour, which we did.”