County Championship: Derbyshire secure draw with Leicestershire with help of Wayne Madsen’s 96

Maximum bonus points was enough to keep Leicestershire at the top of the early Division Two table after their County Championship match against neighbours Derbyshire ended in the draw that had looked nailed-on throughout the final day, despite visiting captain Wayne Madsen inevitably making runs.

Out for 96, 41-year-old Madsen missed out on notching his seventh century in this fixture. Nonetheless, his record in 26 first-class matches against Leicestershire stands at 2,150 runs at an average of 63.23.

The home side, leading by 382 overnight, batted on for a further eight overs in their second innings before declaring nine wickets down to set Derbyshire an unlikely target of 449 from a minimum 86 overs. They were 305-4 with a possible six more overs remaining when the sides shook hands on a draw.

Australian Caleb Jewell’s 73 extended his start as a Derbyshire player to four half-centuries in four innings, while Brooke Guest finished 68 not out.

The pitch had yielded runs at a healthy 4.36 per over across the first three innings but 5.22 per over always looked a mightily tall order for the team that finished bottom of Division Two last season, even though they also opened the new campaign with a win.

Likewise, taking 10 wickets with little evidence of deterioration in the surface looked a remote prospect for the home side.

As Derbyshire began the nominal pursuit of their target, Logan van Beek had David Lloyd caught by captain Peter Handscomb at second slip in the sixth over.

The combination of Jewell and Madsen took out another 20 overs before the Leicestershire attack could make further inroads. The Australian left-hander, who has made half-centuries in each of his first four Derbyshire innings, was impressive in making 50 from 53 balls but had become a little bogged down when he was bowled off a bottom edge by Scriven for 73.

He and Madsen had added 87, the latter passing fifty for the 20th time in first-class matches against Leicestershire.

While he and Jewell were together, the more optimistic Derbyshire followers might have imagined they had a chance.

Madsen kept it just about alive, surviving a difficult chance to wicketkeeper Ben Cox off Ben Green on 64.

After adding a six down the ground off Rehan Ahmed to 13 fours, another hundred looked his for the taking until, one more boundary away, he dragged one on from Ben Mike.

With a minimum 24.4 overs still potentially left, Leicestershire might have caused some panic for the visitors had they been able to whip out another couple quickly, but Brooke Guest and Luis Reece denied them.

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