2NDXI T20 REPORT: Wells blasts off with T20 century
Luke Wells warmed up for the start of the Vitality Blast with a scintillating century as Lancashire and Derbyshire – who meet in the opening game at Edgbaston on Saturday – split the SecondXI T20 double-header at Emirates Old Trafford today.
Derbyshire won the first game comfortably by 29 runs while Lancashire enjoyed a 23-run success in the afternoon.
Both teams used the fixtures as practise matches, utilising most of their respective squads, ahead of that encounter in Birmingham two days hence, part of a double-header before the Bears play Yorkshire Vikings.
In the first game, Derbyshire posted a competitive 204-4 from their 20 overs after being put in.
Opener Tom Wood, who broke his bat in half in spectacular fashion causing umpire Naeem Ashraf at square leg to take evasive action, top scored for the visitors with 66 off 41 balls including 3 sixes and 4 fours.
Wood shared in two good partnerships, adding 64 for the second wicket with Wayne Madsen who contributed a hard-hitting 34 off 20 balls, followed with 63 from six overs with skipper Leus Durham Plooy who made a 21-ball 38.
Tom Aspinwall, having bowled Harry Came for 11 with his fifth delivery at the start of the innings, returned to repeat the trick to send back Wood from the last ball of the 17th over.
Anuj Dal struck the ball with authority to make 45 off 22 balls, and in partnership with Alex Thompson steered Derbyshire past the 200-mark in the final over.
Lancashire lost early wickets and never looked like chasing down their 205-run target despite a half century from George Bell.
Steven Croft, Josh Bohannon and Dane Vilas each fell for single figures, offering up catches from attempted big hits while Rob Jones fell victim to a smart run out by wicketkeeper Vikai Kelley to leave the home side 44-4 in the 6th over.
Luke Wells struck 26 off 19 balls until caught at long-on off Thomson while Tom Hartley holed out to long-off for 19 off Zak Chappell as Lancashire reached halfway on 86-6.
But wickets continued to fall as Danny Lamb gave a return catch to Mattie McKiernan for 11 and Luke Wood became Ben Aitchison’s third wicket when he holed out to Anuj Dal for two to leave the hosts struggling on 101-8 one ball into the 13th over.
Although Bell thumped two sixes, the second taking him to a 27-ball fifty, and timed the ball well in finishing unbeaten on 67, Derbyshire made sure the task of scoring 104 from the remaining 47 balls proved too big a hurdle.
In the afternoon game, Luke Wells and George Bell raced away at the top of the order hammering 87 for the opening wicket off 45 balls until Bell, having hit one six and 6 fours, was caught on the cover point boundary off George Scrimshaw for an excellent 42 off 22 balls. Following his half-century earlier, that represented a really positive day for the wicketkeeper/batter.
Wells took 29 balls to reach his fifty and moved on swiftly to post his first-ever T20 century from 53 balls hitting 6 sixes and 9 fours.
It was a brilliant display of clean, authentic hitting from the left-hander who finally departed in the last over for 120 off 61 balls – a new Lancashire 2ndXI T20 record innings.
Rob Jones lent great support in a partnership of 139, going to his fifty with a straight six after facing 34 balls and out in the final over for 55 with Lancashire’s 227-4 also new 2ndXI T20 record for the county.
In reply Haider Ali and Luis Reece took 59 runs from the first 29 balls before Haider edged behind off Danny Lamb for 26. Reece fell to a catch at deep midwicket off Tom Hartley for 34 and when Matt Lamb pulled George Balderson into the hands of Tom Bailey for 17, Derbyshire were starting to struggle on 108-3 midway the 12th over.
Harry Came had struck 2 sixes and 2 fours in making 44 but when he became one of three wickets to fall for 15 runs by the start of the 16th over the visitors innings rather ran out of steam, despite some late hitting by Mattie McKiernan who finished unbeaten on 43 with Derbyshire closing on 204-6.