The Brown Caps recorded their first win in the NatWest Pro40 this season thanks to career best hauls from Jade Dernbach and Usman Afzaal to win by 13 runs at Chesterfield. The Brown Caps removed the last five wickets of the Phantoms innings for just 14 runs, after hitting 231 for nine from 40 overs. Dernbach took five for 31 and Usman claimed four for 49 to bowl out Derbyshire Phantoms for 218. The Phantoms looked set to win, but wickets tumbled in the final overs as the Brown Caps held their nerve. Dernbach bowled full and straight to pick up three wickets at the death and ruin the home side’s festival at Queens Park, Chesterfield.

Earlier in the day James Benning was brutal in the early overs as he took advantage of anything that was only slightly off-line. He stuck Graham Wagg cleanly for multiple fours through the off-side and then went over the top on two occasions as he racked up eight fours in an opening stand with Scott Newman. Benning was flowing, but failed to clear mid-on when trying to pull Charl Langeveldt and departed for 35.

Newman took control and hit fours all around the ground, any ball that beat the in-field would race to the boundary on the quick, small ground. He had taken advantage of a tame Phantoms seam attack and helped the Brown Caps to reach the hundred mark in the 14th over.

Stewart Walters came in at number three and looked comfortable against the Phantoms attack. He played some stylish cuts and pulls to help take 18 off Wayne White’s only over. Walters was unlucky to be adjudged LBW by Peter Willey when Wagg came back into the attack, as the angle from his left-arm over suggested the ball pitched outside leg stump, Walters gone for 25 and the Brown Caps 106 for two in the 18th.

Phantoms captain Rikki Clarke turned to his spin options and Nayan Doshi would slow the Brown Caps down considerably. Newman found boundaries hard to come by as the Queens Park wicket was helpful to the slow bowlers. Newman reached 50, but would then depart one run later as he played around a ball from Doshi and was bowled.

The Brown Caps did not progress from the platform that the top three had built as no batsman was set and the spin of Doshi and Greg Smith was hard work to score off. They were not helped by a needless run out of Usman Afzaal for three, and Matthew Spriegel went without scoring as it was left to Mark Ramprakash and Jonathan Batty to rebuild. They had to take their time against the spin, but Ramprakash looked at ease. He was hitting the ball cleanly and twice hit sixes down the ground that cleared the boundary by some 30 yards.

The pair put on 69 for the sixth wicket with Batty and Ramprakash just starting to accelerate with the re-inclusion of the seamers. Batty left for 34 though in the 37th over, after a fine edge behind off Ian Hunter. The 38th over started with Ramprakash going to 50 with a two to wide long-on. The following ball was the shot of the innings as he picked Langeveldt up for a flat six over mid-wicket off the front foot. The third ball, however, would see Ramprakash go for 57, as he advanced down the wicket and managed to drag a ball from well wide of off-stump on to the stumps, to leave the Brown Caps 219 for 7, and the final total set was 231 for nine.

The Phantoms made a steady start, but Jade Dernbach removed both Dan Birch and Wavell Hnds to leave the home side 41 for two. Clarke and Chris Rogers shared a third wicket stand of 95 as they set up the Phantoms run chase. Clarke used his feet to hit over the top off the spinners and Rogers was strong on both sides of the wicket and scored on any width. He reached 50 and the pair were on top and in control, until Usman Afzaal had Clarke stumped for 44. Then in the very next over Spriegel did the same against Rogers, gone for 53 and the home side 138 for 4.

Greg smith and Tom New had to get in and were taking their time, as the Brown Caps were back in the game. However, Smith hit a six and two fours in a row off Usman in the 32nd over to give the Phantoms some impetus, but Usman had his revenge when he had Smith caught by Batty from a top-edged sweep in the next over. Ramprakash kept his spinners on and Tom New took advantage as he swept well and hit Murtaza Hussain over long-on for a maximum. The spin was leaking runs but at the same time collecting wickets, Wagg fell to Usman for three and the Phantoms were left on 205 with four overs remaining, needing another 26.

Jade Dernbach came back into the attack and quickly finished off the game. He picked up White, LBW for 1, and then Langeveldt was caught behind for 1 as wickets were falling. Usman then produced a brilliant sharp return catch to claim the wicket of New for a well made 39. Dernbach then had Ian Hunter caught behind for six as he claimed his fifth and the Brown Caps won by 13 runs.

Watch the action from Chesterfield on Surrey TV.

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