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- Jan 13, 2010
Article by Christopher Finch -
A sublime century by Will Jefferson sees Leicestershire head in to day three against Derbyshire at 201-2, just 104 runs behind with eight first innings wickets in hand at Grace Road.
It was the second hundred in successive home matches for the former Essex and Nottinghamshire opening batsman, and his fourth since joining the Foxes at the start of last season.
Due to the many vagaries of the English county fixture scheduling, these sides are meeting in the Championship for the second time in just two weeks, and will have finished playing each other in the first-class game for the season by the end of April.
When they met in Derby, the Foxes batted first and were soon dismissed for only 230, as former Warwickshire seamer Tim Groenewald took five wickets. The response was dominant, as Derbyshire declared on 439-9 after a century from Wayne Madsen, 99 from Greg Smith, and an unbeaten 60 from Groenewald.
Trailing by 239, Leicestershire didn?t even force the Phantoms to bat again as they succumbed for 177 to lose by an innings and 32 runs.
Derbyshire began the second day of this match on 238-5, and Dan Redfern and Luke Sutton looked comfortable early on until Redfern played across the line to a Matthew Hoggard delivery and was out lbw for a battling 71.
In the Leicestershire captain?s next over, he dismissed Jonathan Clare, also lbw for 0.
Hoggard?s aggressive early morning spell continued with a thrilling over against Azeem Rafiq. First, a short ball was banged in and fended off over the slips by Rafiq, who chipped the next ball up to short leg, but a diving James Taylor just failed to hold on.
That was all forgotten when the former England paceman finally got his man the following ball, after an inside edge ricocheted on to the stumps and bowled the Yorkshire loanee.
Sutton brought up a pedestrian 50 that was in keeping with the rest of the innings with a hook off Hoggard for four.
His vigil came to an end three overs later as Henderson took his fourth wicket in his 45th over, when an edge to Jefferson, the tallest player on the county circuit finally stuck. The last wicket fell in the next over, and Derbyshire were all out for 305.
That left the Foxes openers four overs until the lunch break that they safely negotiated.
Jefferson and Tom New resumed in the afternoon, and while the latter looked scratchy with a number of edges through gaps in the slip cordon, they progressed along nicely.
In the 26th over Jefferson hit a looping delivery back towards bowler Rafiq, who dived full length to claim the catch. After a discussion between the two umpires, they decided it was not out.
The next ball went for four, and after Rafiq had words with the batsman, he proceeded to run down the track and smash the following ball over long-on for six to bring up his 50.
New reached his 50 after tea, but was dismissed three overs later, strangling the ball down the leg-side, where he was caught by his opposite number Sutton.
The veteran Paul Nixon could only manage seven runs before he fell victim to part-time bowler Chesney Hughes.
Meanwhile, Jefferson continued to look strong, playing some glorious strokes, and he passed his second century of the season off just 165 balls as the score neared 200.
He and Taylor looked untroubled as the Foxes reached their first batting point just before the close of play.
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A sublime century by Will Jefferson sees Leicestershire head in to day three against Derbyshire at 201-2, just 104 runs behind with eight first innings wickets in hand at Grace Road.
It was the second hundred in successive home matches for the former Essex and Nottinghamshire opening batsman, and his fourth since joining the Foxes at the start of last season.
Due to the many vagaries of the English county fixture scheduling, these sides are meeting in the Championship for the second time in just two weeks, and will have finished playing each other in the first-class game for the season by the end of April.
When they met in Derby, the Foxes batted first and were soon dismissed for only 230, as former Warwickshire seamer Tim Groenewald took five wickets. The response was dominant, as Derbyshire declared on 439-9 after a century from Wayne Madsen, 99 from Greg Smith, and an unbeaten 60 from Groenewald.
Trailing by 239, Leicestershire didn?t even force the Phantoms to bat again as they succumbed for 177 to lose by an innings and 32 runs.
Derbyshire began the second day of this match on 238-5, and Dan Redfern and Luke Sutton looked comfortable early on until Redfern played across the line to a Matthew Hoggard delivery and was out lbw for a battling 71.
In the Leicestershire captain?s next over, he dismissed Jonathan Clare, also lbw for 0.
Hoggard?s aggressive early morning spell continued with a thrilling over against Azeem Rafiq. First, a short ball was banged in and fended off over the slips by Rafiq, who chipped the next ball up to short leg, but a diving James Taylor just failed to hold on.
That was all forgotten when the former England paceman finally got his man the following ball, after an inside edge ricocheted on to the stumps and bowled the Yorkshire loanee.
Sutton brought up a pedestrian 50 that was in keeping with the rest of the innings with a hook off Hoggard for four.
His vigil came to an end three overs later as Henderson took his fourth wicket in his 45th over, when an edge to Jefferson, the tallest player on the county circuit finally stuck. The last wicket fell in the next over, and Derbyshire were all out for 305.
That left the Foxes openers four overs until the lunch break that they safely negotiated.
Jefferson and Tom New resumed in the afternoon, and while the latter looked scratchy with a number of edges through gaps in the slip cordon, they progressed along nicely.
In the 26th over Jefferson hit a looping delivery back towards bowler Rafiq, who dived full length to claim the catch. After a discussion between the two umpires, they decided it was not out.
The next ball went for four, and after Rafiq had words with the batsman, he proceeded to run down the track and smash the following ball over long-on for six to bring up his 50.
New reached his 50 after tea, but was dismissed three overs later, strangling the ball down the leg-side, where he was caught by his opposite number Sutton.
The veteran Paul Nixon could only manage seven runs before he fell victim to part-time bowler Chesney Hughes.
Meanwhile, Jefferson continued to look strong, playing some glorious strokes, and he passed his second century of the season off just 165 balls as the score neared 200.
He and Taylor looked untroubled as the Foxes reached their first batting point just before the close of play.
More...
