Derbyshire 318 for six (Visitor 88, McKiernan 72*, Reece 52) beat Essex 226 by 92 runs
Visitor, who has 4 first-class centuries to his title this season, pissed off a sizeable, sun-drenched Chelmsford crowd with a 79-ball 88, coming into stage proper within the midst of a mini-collapse when three wickets fell in 5 balls.
Essex had been semi-finalists final 12 months however had been all the time second-best regardless of successful the toss and asking Derbyshire to bat on a benign wicket.
Underneath the floodlights of a day-night contest, Essex’s chase acquired off to the worst doable begin when Feroze Khushi was trapped on the again foot by Sam Conners with out scoring. He was rapidly adopted by captain Tom Westley, who went in related trend to a ball that stored low from Ben Aitchison.
Josh Rymell steadied issues with Roelofsen, the pair piecing collectively 53 runs, earlier than edging Luis Reece behind to the irrepressible Visitor for 38.
Robin Das entertained briefly with 19 from 13 balls, together with a straight six, earlier than Mark Watt gained revenge by positioning himself underneath a steepling catch off his personal bowling. Will Buttleman was caught behind off Reece and abruptly Essex had been in deep trouble at 99 for five.
Roelofsen had impressed in native membership cricket and the 2nd XI this summer time, and performed himself in quietly however effectively. He had not appeared in any hassle till he was stranded in mid-pitch by Anuj Dal’s throw from mid-on to be run out for 43.
Aaron Beard, on the different finish then, was on the flawed finish of a special kind of run-out when McKiernan diverted Aron Nijjar’s drive on to the non-striker’s stumps with Beard out of his floor.
Shane Snater ballooned an tried sweep off Alex Thomson to offer Visitor, behind the stumps, a snug catch. Nijjar and Richards refused to go down with out a struggle with a hard-hitting ninth-wicket stand value 51 earlier than Visitor took his fourth catch to finish Nijjar’s enjoyable.
Richards clubbed two sixes over midwicket in his enterprising first knock earlier than falling to a catch simply contained in the ropes.
Earlier within the day, Reece and Billy Godleman overcame a tentative begin by concentrating on Beard for some tough therapy – together with inadvertently bundling him over in his follow-through when Derbyshire’s captain scuttled by means of for a fast single.
Beard had conceded simply two runs off his first two overs, however was withdrawn after a four-over opening spell with 35 towards his title accentuated by successive sixes over his head from Godleman. Godleman departed when he determined to cost Snater and was bowled after a 64-run opening stand.
Harry Got here joined Reece so as to add one other fifty for the second wicket earlier than chipping the ball again to Nijjar to precipitate the short muddle of wickets. Tom Wooden lasted three deliveries earlier than his middle-stump was pegged again by Nijjar after which Reece tamely patted the ball again to Westley to finish a 63-ball keep for 52.
Richards claimed his first senior wicket when Dal clipped to midwicket after a fifth-wicket partnership of 52 with Visitor that put Derbyshire again on a good keel.
Visitor and McKiernan stored the scoreboard ticking to the extent that Derbyshire solely failed to attain from 4 of the final 68 balls. Visitor moved to 88 with a six over mid-on off Snater, however perished the following ball when trying the identical shot however solely discovering Beard on the fence.
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