Derbyshire County Cricket Club in 2005
Derbyshire began the season by picking up only 3 points in the opening Championship fixture whilst being defeated by Worcestershire, and rain then destroyed their first Sunday League match.
Michael di Venuto put up the Derbyshire resistance, scoring 111 in an innings that included 12 fours and one six before finally being stumped off Gareth Batty.
The student bowlers were not up to the task of dismissing Derbyshire a second time in the 53 overs that remained, but Jonathan Moss scored 109 not out, with the game ending when the visitors declared on 226 for 2.
In reply, England Test bowler Steve Harmison took three for 45, including trapping Michael Di Venuto lbw with his third ball and Hassan Adnan caught at first slip.
Geraint Jones top-scored with 70, while Derbyshire's South African all-rounder Ant Botha took three for 40 with his left-arm spin to take his wicket count to 10 in his last three List A games.
Martin Saggers (three for 21), Amjad Khan (one for 12) and Simon Cook (one for 22) then reduced Derbyshire to 27 for 5, and although the last five wickets added 103 runs after 41 from Sutton, it was not enough to chase the target of 258.
But Graeme Welch took four for 48 as the last eight wickets fell for 91 runs, with only Darren Robinson's gritty four-hour 110 and David Masters quickfire 25 giving Leicestershire a lead.
Derbyshire did not score at a rate much quicker than the required three an over, but still made their target with four wickets down and 21 balls to go, as Michael di Venuto top-scored with 48.
Derbyshire had the chance to get their first Championship win of the season, as they earned a 142-run first innings lead, but left their opponents with two sessions to chase 379, and Essex survived for the draw.
Kent captain David Fulton won the toss and chose to field, and Derbyshire's Australian opener Michael di Venuto then hit an 80-ball century with twelve fours and a six.
The Bangladeshis won the toss and chose to bat first against a Derbyshire side that had made two changes from the National League game with Kent – the injured Michael di Venuto and Tim Lungley was left out for Nick Walker and Graeme Welch.
Winning the toss and batting, Derbyshire saw Australian Michael di Venuto and Ben France joined up for an opening stand of 56 – the second highest partnership of the match.
The hosts won the toss and batted, and with the help of a century from Australian import Michael di Venuto they ended up with a final total of 220 for 8 – along with 33 not out from Andre Botha.
Kevin Dean took three early wickets to reduce the Scots to 31 for 3, but Douglas Lockhart made his highest career score with 88 not out to set Scotland back on track.
On the last ball, Scotland needed two runs to win with South African-born number 11 Dewald Nel on strike – he could only scamper a single, and the teams shared the spoils.
Derbyshire Phantoms batted first, with Jonathan Moss notching up 83 off 44 balls, and England Test bowler Matthew Hoggard was hit for 45 runs in three overs.
Derbyshire needed some big hits from the specialist bowlers in the end, and despite four boundaries and 25 from Tim Lungley they were bowled out for 172 with three balls remaining, James Anderson getting the honour of taking the last wicket.
A brief spurt of wickets, initiated by di Venuto departing for 203, saw Durham lose four men for six runs to go to 360 for 6, but Travis Friend and Graeme Welch made 135 in a seventh-wicket partnership as Derbyshire set a target of 330.
After Durham had batted out 36 of their 66 overs, scoring 93 runs and losing two wickets to spinner Ant Botha, play was stopped and the match declared a draw due to poor weather conditions.
Usman Afzaal added 59 from number four as well, and half-centuries from David Sales and Riki Wessels, ensured that Northamptonshire could declare with a lead of 388, giving themselves five sessions to win the game.
Spinners Jason Brown and Monty Panesar shared nine wickets on the third day, while Derbyshire made 204 from 99 overs (di Venuto and Welch both scoring 47), but Australian Damien Wright wrapped up the innings by having Hunter bowled two balls into the fourth morning.
A further 22 runs were added on the second day, while Danish dismissed Jake Needham to complete his second five-for of the match – Sutton was left stranded on 46 not out, setting Essex 337 to win.
Scotland had been put in to bat by Derbyshire captain Luke Sutton, and were 42 for 4 after two wickets from new-ball bowler Graeme Welch, but Watts paired up well with the lower middle order before rain set in.
(Cricinfo scorecard)[permanent dead link] Derbyshire began September by coming close to a Championship victory, but failed to push home, finishing with a total of 277 for 6 chasing 280 to win at Riverside Ground in Durham.
Australian opener Jimmy Maher recorded his second successive single-figure score in his first match for Durham, as the hosts made it 59 for 3, but centuries from Paul Collingwood and Dale Benkenstein sent them back in the lead.
The hosts lost their first six men for 34, Murtagh taking four and Azhar two, before Ant Botha and Tom Lungley added 25 in just over half an hour.
Two wickets from Derbyshire's Australian all-rounder Jon Moss sent Leicestershire struggling to 42 for 4, and before a fifth-wicket partnership of 69 between Aftab Habib and Darren Robinson carried them past 100.
In 50 overs on day four, Charl Willoughby and Stuart Broad took two wickets each as Derbyshire were all out for 190, but there was no time for another innings and the match was declared a draw.
Gareth Andrew was the only Somerset bowler to take more than one wicket, ending with four for 134, but Derbyshire made 707 for 7 – a county record[48] – declaring when Luke Sutton fell for 53, leaving Graeme Welch stranded on 99 not out.
Derbyshire batsmen Ben France and Hassan Adnan started to build towards the target of 301 to win with an 81-run partnership for the second wicket, but both of them were stumped off Blackwell, and he also had three men caught off his bowling to end with five for 26.
