Derbyshire Falcons 325-7 (50 overs)
Sussex Sharks 137 (31.4 overs)
Derbyshire Falcons (4 points) beat Sussex Sharks (0 points) by 188 runs
Wayne Madsen marked another career milestone with a century as Derbyshire Falcons thrashed Sussex Sharks by 188 runs in their Metro Bank One Day Cup Group B match.
On his 100th List A game for Derbyshire, the 42-year-old scored an unbeaten 104 off 96 balls to take the hosts to 325-7 with Ross Whiteley plundering 33 from 18.
Henry Crocombe took 3-44 and 18-year-old pace bowler Freddie Price impressed with his best one-day figures of 2-47 but Sussex fell well short with the bat.
Spinner Jack Morley ripped through them, claiming his List A best figures of 5-28 as the Sharks subsided tamely to 137 in under 32 overs.
The Falcons had got off to a flyer, passing 50 in the sixth over before Crocombe restored some order by having Martin Andersson caught behind for 39 from 24 balls.
A superb leaping catch by George Thomas at point removed Caleb Jewell and Harry Came’s innings was ended by a smart piece of work from Charlie Tear.
Came had dispatched Jack Carson for the first six in the 21st over but in the next, he stepped out of his crease and was stumped.
The Sharks had exerted a measure of control with the Falcons 146-3 after 25 overs but Madsen and Matthew Montgomery raised the tempo by adding 82 off 87 balls.
Ollie Robinson broke the stand when Montgomery skied a pull to deep midwicket but Madsen showed his experience, combining improvisation with astute placement.
After Brooke Guest drove to cover, Whiteley launched into Troy Henry’s spin, hitting him for four sixes and a four with 30 coming from the 45th over.
Whiteley missed a big swing at Crocombe who had Anuj Dal caught off a leading edge but Madsen completed his seventh List A hundred for Derbyshire in the final over.
A depleted Sharks team faced a testing target and they started badly, losing Thomas LBW to Nick Potts in the second over.
Potts struck again in the 10th over when Tear drove to cover and two wickets in Morley’s first over left the Sharks floundering.
Joe Johnson fell to a good running catch by Potts at deep midwicket before Dan Ibrahim pulled low to mid on, 48-4.
Morley claimed another when Jack Carson pulled to midwicket and he celebrated a fourth when Robinson missed a sweep.
Jack Leaning hit Andersson for three fours but then chipped back a return catch as the Falcons romped to back-to-back victories.
Morley said: “Rossy’s (Ross Whiteley) over of 30 really changed the momentum in our favour. It was a good batting pitch but I think we were 20 or 30 over par meaning they had to go pretty early and take the risk.
“Our opening bowlers did a really good job and made it a lot easier for me coming on so I could get into a rhythm and twirl away.
“I guess when it’s your day, it’s your day – and I was just able to try to keep applying pressure.
“Wayne (Madsen), he works so hard. He’s the hardest trainer in the room. He bats with real purpose every time he goes out and you know a big score is around the corner.”
Sussex Sharks captain Jack Carson said: “They probably got 30 or 40 more than they should although we clawed it back well through the middle.
“We were never really in it with the bat. There were some soft dismissals but it happens.
“If we had batted well, we would have backed ourselves to chase that but we were probably a little bit too easy to get out at the top so it’s a bit disappointing.
“In our team there are so many young lads making their first steps in professional cricket so there’s going to be a lot of learning and there has been a lot of learning so far.”
