Skipper Cobb leads from the front as Steelbacks claim Blast win over Falcons

Josh Cobb led from the front with the bat after a rare failure for opener Chris Lynn, with the skipper hammering 70 from 44 balls, hitting six fours and three sixes, to see the home side past the Falcons' 151 for nine with 11 balls to spare.

It was a good all-round bowling performance that set up the victory, but the standouts were Tom Taylor who claimed four for 27 and Freddie Heldreich two for 20.

The Steelbacks named an unchanged team from the one that saw off Durham by five wickets at the Riverside on Sunday.

Derbyshire won the toss and elected to bat, but it was the Steelbacks who probably had the better of the powerplay as the visitors ended the opening six overs on 40 for two.

There was a wicket apiece for Tom Taylor and Ben Sanderson, with Shan Masood the victim of another breath-taking grab on the square-leg boundary from Rob Keogh, who had to make up a lot of ground to his left to snaffle the chance.

After a couple of tight overs of spin, the visitors tried to up the rate with Leus Du Plooy hitting two fours as a Graeme White over went for 13.

But in the 10th over he was teased by left-arm wrist-spinner Freddie Heldreich into hitting a ball straight down the throat of Taylor at mid-on, and Derbyshire were 64 for three.

They were soon 74 for four as Hayden Kerr skied a Neesham delivery to White at wide mid-on, and the Steelbacks were well in control with Derbyshire having two new batters at the crease.

The impressive Heldreich struck again to dismiss Brooke Guest and at 80 for five off 12 overs, Falcons were in big trouble.

Alex Hughes and Wayne Madsen set about building a total to at least test the Steelbacks, and the batted sensibly, with Hughes also depositing Neesham for one huge six over mid-wicket.

The 16th and 17th overs bowled by Neesham and Sanderson went for 30 as the visitors climbed to 130 for five, but it all went pear-shaped for the visitors in the 18th.

First, Madsen tried his arm once too often to drive Taylor to Cobb at extra cover and Falcons were 130 for six.

Two balls later it was 130 for seven as Hughes miscued to Cobb, and Taylor claimed a third wicket in the over off the last bowl as he clean bowled Mattie McKiernan to leave the visitors 132 for eight.

A couple of decent late hits from Mark Watt ensured the Steelbacks had work to do as Derbyshire finished on 151 for nine.

The Steelbacks' reply got off to the worst possible start as Chris Lynn went first ball, edging a sharp, rising delivery from fellow Australian Hayden Kerr behind.

That was a shock to the system and certainly stunned the expectant home crowd, but it brought Cobb to the crease, and he soon found his range to hit a couple of sixes to steer his side to 53 for one at the end of the powerplay.

Ben Curran mistimed a pull to go for 11 in the next over, and there was a huge slice of fortune for Cobb - who had also been dropped in the previous over - as he was caught on the boundary, but the fielder had stepped on the rope to make it a six.

The captain went on to reach his 50 from 31 balls with a booming cover drive for four, but Derbyshire stayed in the game as Saif Zaib gloved a quick ball from Sam Conners behind to make it 77 for three after nine overs.

Cobb continued to go for his shots and went for one too many in the 13th over as he picked out Conners on the cover boundary off the bowling of George Scrimshaw and he was out for 70 as the Steelbacks slipped to 102 for four.

That brought Neesham to the crease to partner Rob Keogh, and the pair didn't mess about.

They had taken the score to 133 for four in the 16th over when Neesham was caught on the boundary for 20, but Keogh (28no) and Taylor (12no) saw their team home in the 19th over and complete a good night's work for John Sadler and his team.