Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Dawid Malan’s Yorkshire suffered defeat at Chesterfield this afternoon and are now bottom of the North Group table.
Derbyshire Falcons v Yorkshire
Vitality Blast, North Group
Sunday July 6, 2025, 2.30pm
Queen’s Park, Chesterfield
Toss: Derbyshire won it and elected to bowl
Teams – Derbyshire: Caleb Jewell, Aneurin Donald w, Martin Andersson, Samit Patel w, Wayne Madsen, Harry Came, Ross Whiteley, Zak Chappell, Alex Thomson, Mohammad Ghazanfar, Pat Brown.
Yorkshire: Jonny Bairstow w, Dawid Malan c, Will Luxton, James Wharton, Will Sutherland, Matthew Revis, Jordan Thompson, Dom Bess, Matt Milnes, Jafer Chohan, Will O’Rourke.
Match Summary: Derbyshire opener Aneurin Donald hit a record-breaking 85 off 30 balls as the hosts chased down 201 to beat Yorkshire by seven wickets with 16 balls to spare at Chesterfield.
The White Rose county looked to be in a strong position having posted 200-6, including Jordan Thompson’s late 37 not out off 11 balls.
But their Blast quarter-final hopes were left hanging by the thinnest of threads as Donald hit a 13-ball fifty – the competition’s joint fastest ever – and went a long way to consigning them to a seventh defeat in 10 games.
The North Group’s bottom side have also now beaten Yorkshire in each of the last eight Blast meetings on this ground. This was the Falcons’ third win of the campaign.
Match Report: Yorkshire will now have to win their remaining four games to have any hope of reaching the quarter-finals.
Dawid Malan hoisted a couple of sixes inside the first four overs, one over cover off Alex Thomson’s off-spin and the other down the ground off Zak Chappell’s seam as he moved to 22 out of 33-0.
Jonny Bairstow (29) then cleared the trees, over long-off, at the Lake End off expensive Chappell as Yorkshire started well at 48-0 after five.
Malan then lost his middle stump trying to hit impressive Afghanistan off-spinner Mohammad Ghazanfar over cover on 22 before Bairstow was caught behind trying to run Chappell’s pace to third-man – 61-2 late in the seventh.
Yorkshire reached the halfway mark on 88, including a James Wharton six over mid-wicket, before Will Luxton failed to clear long-on against Samit Patel’s left-arm spin.
Wharton succeeded where Luxton hadn’t a few overs later when he cleared long-on. Like Bairstow had earlier, he hoisted spin out of the ground at the Lake End to move into the twenties.
However, having hit another long-on six shortly afterwards, he was caught in that region off Ghazanfar, the score now 125-4 after 15 overs. Ghazanfar finished with 2-21 from four overs.
The pitch seemed to be two-paced as five Yorkshire batters posted between 22 and 37.
Matthew Revis was one of those with 26, and became the third Yorkshire batter caught at long-on, this team off Pat Brown’s seam – 149-5 after 17.
Fellow all-rounder Will Sutherland then thudded a six into the roof of the media tent at long-on.
He then added two fours as 22 came off Chappell in the 18th, including a four and a six for Jordan Thompson, leaving Yorkshire 171-5 with two left.
But he was brilliantly caught by Ross Whiteley over his head at deep cover off Brown for 17.
Jordan Thompson brilliantly ended an innings which yielded 75 from its last five overs with a bang, smashing three sixes – two straight – as 24 came off Chappell in the last over. The big quick conceded 46 off his last two overs on the way to 1-64 from four.
But Derbyshire responded in kind at the start of their chase, with Aneurin Donald hitting Dom Bess for three fours and a six over square-leg off a full toss as 20 came from the first over.
He then hit two sixes and three fours off Matt Milnes in the second as Derbyshire raced to 45-0.
Donald reached his fifty in almost immediately afterwards as he single-handedly turned this game on its head, with Yorkshire’s bowlers and fielders unable to set the correct tone.
He hit 10 off his first 11 balls to or over the boundary and was strong all around the ground. He seared sixes over cover and straight and then ramped another to third. In all, he hit eight fours and seven sixes.
Things settled down somewhat, but nowhere near enough for a White Rose revival.
Sutherland removed Caleb Jewell caught at short third off a miscued pull for 31 before, in the next over, Jafer Chohan had Donald caught by deep mid-wicket running in as the score reached 129-2 after 10 overs.
Sutherland was excellent with 1-16 from three overs.
Will O’Rourke, playing his final game of the summer, then had captain Patel caught at mid-on with the score on 141.
But old hand Wayne Madsen and powerful left-hander Whiteley calmly saw their side home in the 18th over, sharing an unbroken 60. Madsen led the way with 38 not out, Whiteley 29.
Turning Point: The first two overs of Derbyshire’s chase went for 45 combined; 20 off Dom Bess in the first, 25 off Matt Milnes in the second. The Falcons gained valuable momentum which they were able to build on.
Magic Moment: Jordan Thompson smashed three sixes off Zak Chappell in the last over of the Derbyshire innings, which went for 24, as Yorkshire reached 200.
Stat of the Match: Derbyshire opener Aneurin Donald’s 13-ball fifty equalled the Blast record for the fastest fifty, set by Marcus Trescothick for Somerset against Hampshire in 2010.
What They Said – Yorkshire coach Anthony McGrath: “I thought we were probably above par at the halfway stage if I’m honest, with the feedback we had from the pitch. I thought we batted really well again, setting it up at the end.
“With 200, we were very, very confident. But it was definitely our worst day with the ball. Everything we spoke about – getting the ball into the pitch because it was a bit stoppy and used, we missed our lengths. Everything we were supposed to do, we didn’t.
“Nye Donald, he played well. If someone has a day out like that, it’s difficult to stop. Fair play to him, he batted well. But, from our point of view, a disappointing second half.
“Until we’re mathematically out, we’ll keep going. Even if we are, it’s still how we want to go about it. There’s bigger picture stuff. The template we played with on Friday, we played with a lot more intent, running between the wickets, aggression with the ball – all those kind of things. We’ve got to consistently start getting it together.
“We’ve got to try and win the four games. There’s two Roses games, so there’s still lots to play for.”
What’s Next: Yorkshire travel across to Emirates Old Trafford on Friday evening for the Roses match against North Group leaders Lancashire Lightning (7pm) in front of the Sky Sports cameras.
