Brilliant duo save the day for County

Date: Friday 14 August 2009

Final Report: Leicestershire (6 points) 177 (Taylor 45, Jones 4-43) and 429-8 dec (Naik 109, Taylor 94, Boyce 80) drew with Derbyshire (12 pts) 478-8 dec (Rogers 163, Smith 95, Henderson 3-93)

Jigar Naik recorded his maiden first-class century in a record-breaking partnership with James Taylor as Leicestershire produced an amazing rearguard action to clinch a Championship draw with Derbyshire.

Naik (109*) joined Taylor (94) with the score on 224-7 just prior to lunch, and County were staring down both the barrel at that stage of proceedings.

The team were still 77 runs away from making Derbyshire bat again, but the duo put on 195 for the eighth-wicket, which is a new all-time first-class record for the club.

Naik and Taylor surpassed the previous best of 172 put on by Paul Nixon and David Millns at Old Trafford during the Championship-winning year of 1996, and their efforts ensured County took a draw from the match.

Although Leicestershire started the day trailing by 147 runs, Matthew Boyce and HD Ackerman looked in good touch the previous evening.

So there were high hopes of taking something from the game, but it all went pear-shaped in the opening session as Derbyshire claimed five wickets before lunch.

County were hoping to get through the opening half an hour without loss to give a platform to build on. Unfortunately that did not occur and the team lost both overnight batsmen in that time with the score on 162.

Firstly, Tim Groenewald had Ackerman well caught on the pull by Greg Smith without adding to his overnight score of 29.

Matthew Boyce then nicked Steffan Jones through to Jamie Pipe after making 80 and the team were always going to have their work cut out after that critical quick double blow.

It could have been worse had Chris Rogers held Tom New at slip off Jones when the 'keeper had made just one, but the batter survived to construct a stand with Taylor.

New played some nice cover drives and got stuck in alongside his colleague and the duo looked as though they had lunch in their sights.

However, leggie Mark Lawson, who extracted turn throughout, spun one sharply down the leg-side and New feathered a catch to keeper Pipe to fall to a strangle with half an hour of the session still remaining.

That provided the visitors with some timely momentum and Derbyshire claimed two further wickets before the interval as County continued to struggle.

The first was a giveaway as Taylor called Wayne White through for a single in the covers that simply wasn't there.

White valiantly attempted to make his ground with a despairing dive but Garry Park is a shotgun fielder and his bullet throw allowed Pipe to whip off the bails in the blink of an eye.

Park was again in the think of the action by having Claude Henderson caught behind shortly prior to the interval and that left County in a huge hole on 224-7 at the break.

Derbyshire must have been delighted with their lunchtime position, but they faced resistance of the highest order after the break as Taylor and Naik combined to outstanding effect.

The pair added 118 runs in the afternoon session with Naik contributing 72 of them and Taylor also pricing his wicket very highly indeed,

Naik began the session in fine style, stroking a nice cover drive to open his boundary account. Taylor played a similar stroke off Jones before cutting powerfully for four from the next ball as the stand started with promise.

The duo then saw off the crucial phase of the session - the first half-hour of the new ball.

With key men Jones and Groenewald unable to break through, Chris Rogers shuffled the pack with regularity. His first move was to bring on Dan Redfern, who was the golden arm yesterday in dismissing Boeta Dippenaar.

The off-spinner did not have the same impact this time though and Naik played a super cover drive in his first over as the stand passed 50.

The pair had now seen off an hour after lunch and Naik was particularly impressive on the pull as he counter-attacked a short-pitched barrage.

The off-spinner was now well past his previous first-class best of 16 and looked in fine touch given he had barely played any cricket for six weeks since suffering a broken arm.

Rogers continued to rotate his bowlers with regularity but the duo continued to bat well and ensured Derbyshire would have to bat again, which was the day’s first target, and plenty more milestones were reached.

Naik was brutal with the pull, playing two particularly powerful strokes off Groenewald and Redfern. The batsman also hit his off-spinning counterpart for four through extra, and a late cut bought up his maiden first-class fifty from 98 balls with ten boundaries.

Taylor then bought up his half-century, from 128 balls with three fours. It was a masterclass of patient accumulation and the teenager’s guts and application was mightily impressive.

A single for Naik in the 110th over bought up the 100-run partnership, and the duo took the score to 342-7 by tea - a lead of 41.

That put things into context; although it had been a great effort, there was still plenty of work to do in the final session.

Both men were well up for the challenge. Naik played a beautiful off drive for four and a flick off his legs which took him into the 80s, and another glanced four and two pulled boundaries took the batsman to within touching distance of a ton.

The partnership now stood at 150, and then came the magic moment; a glanced four from Naik to bring up his maiden first-class century. The boundary was his 18th in a brilliant effort from 180 balls.

Taylor then went on a boundary spree, including a delicate dab for four, two pulls through mid-wicket and a fine stroke through mid-on.

That took the youngster into the 90s and the last hour was called by umpires John Holder and Rob Bailey, with County looking though they had the ship in safe waters.

However, Smith kept Derbyshire's slim hopes of victory alive by bowling Taylor to end his knock which last just eight minutes shy of five hours.

It was a shame the youngster couldn’t bring up his third hundred of the season and take the stand past 200, but it was a magnificent effort nevertheless from the youngster, who had previously top-scored in the first innings with an equally patient knock.

Nathan Buck (5*) helped Naik – whose knock came from 202 balls in an heroic 206 minute stay at the crease – through to the close, and hands were shaken with County 128 ahead well into the last hour.

Although Derbyshire were lacking strike bowler Graham Wagg, they tried everything in their power to win the game, so to come away with six points and a draw was an excellent achievement.

It was an unbelievable effort from both Taylor and Naik, and should give morale a timely boost as the team continue their hectic schedule with a trip to Lord’s on Sunday to face Middlesex Panthers in the Pro40 competition.