Leicestershire and Derbyshire finally took to the field on day three of their Vitality County Championship clash after two days of rain delays. With Derbyshire’s relegation to Division Two already confirmed, the match held little significance beyond local pride.
Leicestershire opener Sol Budinger seized the opportunity to shine, scoring a career-best 87. Liam Trevaskis also contributed a half-century, helping Leicestershire reach 264 for eight at the close of play.
Derbyshire’s spinners made the most of the conditions in the final session. Mitch Wagstaff, in his sixth first-class match, claimed two for 24, while skipper David Lloyd picked up three wickets.
The match was a tale of missed opportunities for Derbyshire. Ian Holland was dropped three times before being dismissed for 44, while Budinger was given a life on 42. These lapses proved costly as Budinger went on to score a century.
Budinger’s partnership with Holland laid the foundation for Leicestershire’s innings. The pair put on 120 before Budinger was dismissed by Luis Reece, who became the first Derbyshire player since Dominic Cork in the 1990s to reach 200 wickets and 8,000 runs for the county.
Holland followed soon after, cutting straight to backward point. Lewis Hill and Harry Swindells made brief contributions, but it was Trevaskis who provided the backbone of the innings. He completed his second half-century of the season before being bowled by Lloyd.
Ben Mike and Ben Green were both caught behind to give the spinners another wicket apiece, and Tom Scriven was leg before sweeping to Lloyd.
With the match evenly poised, a positive result is still possible if both teams agree to forfeit an innings. However, with the weather forecast uncertain, it remains to be seen whether a winner will be determined.
