Derbyshire v Worcestershire: Scores and match report

Match scores (Derby)

Derbyshire 1st inns: 275 (Reece 54, Hughes 53; Leach 4-50) 
Derbyshire 2nd inns: 98 (Palladino 28; Leach 5-32)

Worcestershire 1st inns: 415-9 dec (D'Oliveira 150, Mitchell 120; Mendis 4-98, Thakor 4-45) 

Worcestershire won by an innings and 42 runs

Day four report

Worcestershire skipper Joe Leach inspired his team to a hat-trick of County Championship victories as Derbyshire crumbled to a humiliating innings and 42 run defeat in the Division Two match at Derby.

Leach took five for 32 in 13 overs to rip the heart out of Derbyshire's second innings, the hosts shot out for 98 in 29.4 overs with only three batsmen getting to double figures.

Worcestershire had set up their charge to a third win of the season by scoring 92 from 17 overs earlier in the day, with Tom Kohler-Cadmore hitting a rapid 42 before Leach declared on 415 for nine - a lead of 140, which proved more than enough.

Kohler-Cadmore struck two sixes in his 47-ball knock to make sure his team secured maximum batting points, although Derbyshire bowlers Shiv Thakor and Jeevan Mendis benefited from Worcestershire's desire to score quickly as they finished with four wickets apiece.

One of Thakor's scalps saw Daryn Smit pull off an impressive stumping standing up to the medium-pacer to send back Ed Barnard, but that proved the highlight of the final day for Derbyshire who were in tatters by lunch as the top order disintegrated.

Barnard started the decline when he had Ben Slater caught chipping tamely to midwicket, before trapping Thakor lbw and then produced a direct hit from cover to run out Luis Reece, who was batting with a runner because of a badly bruised ankle.

When Billy Godleman also paid the price for failing to get forward to Leach, Derbyshire had lost four wickets for nine runs in 17 balls and the procession continued in the first over after lunch.

Wayne Madsen edged the first ball of the session from Leach into the gloves of Ben Cox and Alex Hughes was lbw four balls later to leave Derbyshire's lowest total against Worcestershire, 54 at New Road in 1935, under threat.

Mendis pulled Barnard for three fours to at least avoid that humiliation but he was caught behind for 18 hooking Leach, who took his fifth wicket when Smit went too far across and was lbw.

Tony Palladino went down swinging, hitting Nathan Lyon for three sixes, but the Australian had the last word when he had him caught at deep midwicket to end Derbyshire's misery just before 3 o'clock with 47 overs remaining in the day.

Day three report

Daryl Mitchell and Brett D'Oliveira ended a lean start to the County Championship season with centuries as Worcestershire took charge of the Division Two match against Derbyshire.

The opening pair put on 243 in 54 overs, with Mitchell, who made 120, completing 10,000 first-class runs for the visitors when he reached 87.

D'Oliveira scored 150 from 232 balls as Worcestershire closed day three on 323 for three - a lead of 48 over Derbyshire, who needed a ninth-wicket stand of 45 between Tony Palladino and Tom Taylor to get to 275 in their first innings.

Worcestershire skipper Joe Leach took four for 50 from 23 overs.

Derbyshire held up their opponents for 20 overs in the morning to steer themselves to a second batting point, which had looked unlikely when Leach struck twice in consecutive overs.

Daryn Smit edged low to Mitchell at second slip, and after Jeevan Mendis had driven Nathan Lyon for six and swept the Australian off-spinner for two fours, he loosely clipped Leach to deep square leg.

But Worcestershire's hopes of wrapping up the innings were dashed by the tail until Ed Barnard came on at the City end and had Taylor (17) caught behind to give Ben Cox his 200th first-class catch.

Palladino (32) was lbw to a full length ball to leave Worcestershire with a potentially tricky 20 minutes batting before lunch, but there were few alarms as the openers closed in on Derbyshire's total.

D'Oliveira drove and cut Taylor for four fours in five balls but he should have been caught on 42 at square leg by Ben Slater off Shiv Thakor, who was comfortably the pick of Derbyshire's attack.

Mitchell reached his landmark by driving Mendis through the covers for three just before tea, and his 25th first-class century came off 128 balls before D'Oliveira completed his first in all cricket since last May from 160 balls.

The stand was finally broken by Thakor, who had Mitchell lbw playing across the line. And Leach hit two sixes in the penultimate over before D'Oliveira finally fell, with his side still in with a chance of forcing a win on the last day.

Day two report

Nathan Lyon claimed his first Specsavers County Championship wicket but it was another frustrating day for Derbyshire and Worcestershire in the Division Two match at Derby.

The Australian Test off-spinner removed Derbyshire's Alex Hughes for 53 before a storm forced play to be abandoned at 1700.

Luis Reece had top-scored with 54 before he and Billy Godleman (19) were dismissed in the space of 10 balls early on the second morning, but Hughes (53) and Daryn Smit (27 not out) added 78 in 21 overs to take the hosts to 200 for six.

Worcestershire's bowlers could have taken more than three wickets on the first day and they soon had two more after Derbyshire resumed on 111 for three.

Jack Shantry tempted Reece into pushing at a ball he could have left and Tom Kohler-Cadmore took a good low catch at first slip.

Joe Leach claimed a second victim when Godleman edged behind which left Derbyshire to regroup, and Hughes and Smit showed good judgement to bat through 10 overs before rain held up play until early afternoon.

The break appeared to have disrupted the Worcestershire bowlers, who struggled for consistency and Hughes took advantage, cutting a short ball from Ed Barnard for his seventh four to move to 50 from 56 balls.

Lyon was making his first first-class appearance since the fourth Test against India in the Himalayan city of Dharamsala in late March, but was celebrating before the rain returned.

Hughes moved across to try to work him to leg, but was pinned lbw and that was the last action of the day as a downpour left large pools of water on the outfield.

Day one report

Australian Test star Nathan Lyon was overshadowed on his County Championship debut by the Worcestershire seamers on a rain-shortened opening day of the Division Two match against Derbyshire at Derby.

The off-spinner bowled seven overs without reward as Joe Leach, Jack Shantry and Josh Tongue each took a wicket.

Home batsman Luis Reece scored an unbeaten 53 for Derbyshire who closed on 111 for three.

Rain prevented any play until 4pm, with Derbyshire going into the game without South African fast bowler Hardus Viljoen who will be out until the end of June with a hip injury.

Derbyshire's director of cricket Kim Barnett said: "It's typical of cricket that things come to test you and this is a test of our guys and the resilience of the squad.

"We had a meeting yesterday when it was decided he wasn't fully fit and I think he knew that. We just want him to do himself justice, it's no use him going out at 70 per cent fit and not bowling to his standards so we must get him fully fit and healthy to do what he can do when he comes back."

It was no surprise given the damp, cloudy conditions that Worcestershire chose to bowl and Leach struck with the sixth ball of the game by bringing one back to knock out Ben Slater's off-stump.

Leach found enough movement to beat the bat numerous times and was unlucky not to pick up two or three wickets during his seven over opening spell from the City end.

Reece and Shiv Thakor needed some luck to survive but they also showed good judgement to add 55 in 21 overs before Shantry made the breakthrough.

Thakor could do nothing with a ball that lifted sharply to take the shoulder of the bat and Shantry was close to having Reece lbw with one that swung back in his next over.

Tongue produced another fine delivery to remove Wayne Madsen who edged a ball that moved away late and was caught behind in the 30th over but Reece and Billy Godleman batted through 10 overs to stumps.