Steven Mullaney and Luke Fletcher showed the value of economy and virtue of persistence,  each claiming three wickets in Derbyshire’s first innings as the hosts succumbed to the follow-on in a rain-enforced elongated final session of the third day at The Incora County Ground. 

Mullaney finished with 3-51 from 24 overs, and Fletcher 3-44 from 25, as the hosts lost their final five wickets for 74, dismissed for 318, trailing by 300 runs.

Tasked with batting for the remaining 38 overs of the day, Harry Came and Luis Reece did just that, sharing an opening stand worth 79.

Earlier, Wayne Madsen and Brooke Guest, who had already put on 90 for the third wicket on day two, resumed 163-2 and looked untroubled in the opening stages, albeit the former narrowly avoided chopping Paterson onto his own stumps in the 67th over. 

The introduction of Steven Mullaney brought with it lashing of pressure, however, as the wily medium pacer nibbled the old ball around in bowler-friendly conditions. 

With his final ball of his first over - the 69th - Madsen was drawn into a dab shot which dropped into the hands of Joe Clarke at first slip. 

And Mullaney had his second, that of Leus Du Plooy in his next over, with a delivery which nipped in off the pitch to find the left-hander’s outside edge through to Tom Moores stood up at the stumps.

At the other end, the alliterative trio of Paterson, Pattinson and Patterson-White toiled as the new ball neared, but despite the best efforts of an increasingly hostile Pattinson, his countryman Hilton Cartwright and Guest stood firm. 

That was until the 85th over, when Cartright attempted a languid punch off the back foot but chopped onto his own stumps to reduce the home side to 244/5. 

Wickets far from tumbled therefrom for Derbyshire, but scalps at regular intervals proved the downfall for the hosts who finished 318 all out. 

Pattinson ripped through the defenses of Anuj Dal to dismiss the right-hander for 25, before Mullaney added to his haul with the wicket of McKiernan, caught behind. 

A Luke Fletcher bouncer then saw Guest glove through to Moores after reaching a patient 109 from 267 deliveries to take the score to 298/8, with Aitchison trapped lbw by Fletcher, and Connors bowled leaving a Patterson-White delivery soon after to wrap up the innings. 

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The Royal London Cup Final

The timeless pomp, ceremony and tradition of county cricket's historic 50-over final. 18 First-Class counties go head-to-head in this prestigious competition, aiming to emerge with the spoils at our historic venue. Secure your seats here...