Guest's Heroics Keep Derbyshire in Contention Against Northamptonshire

Derbyshire's Brooke Guest played a valiant innings of 76 not out to keep his team in contention against Northamptonshire in their Vitality County Championship Division Two match at Derby.

Northamptonshire had posted a formidable 422 all out on the back of centuries from Rob Keogh (102) and Justin Broad (75). Derbyshire's bowlers struggled to make early inroads, with Keogh and Broad accumulating runs steadily.

However, Derbyshire skipper David Lloyd's off-spin proved to be the catalyst for a mini-collapse, as he dismissed Keogh and Broad in quick succession. Zak Chappell then removed Michael Finan to leave Northamptonshire on 344 for 5.

Despite the setbacks, Northamptonshire's tail wagged, with Ben Sanderson and Siddharth Kaul adding valuable runs. Blair Tickner and Daryn Pavillon eventually wrapped up the innings, but Derbyshire still faced a daunting target of 423.

Derbyshire's openers, Luis Reece and Guest, showed resilience and determination to bat through until tea. However, Reece's dismissal for 42 gave Northamptonshire a glimmer of hope.

Guest, though, remained unyielding, reaching his third fifty of the season. He found a reliable partner in Wayne Madsen, and together they batted through 24 overs to stumps, leaving Derbyshire on 170 for 2, still 252 runs behind.

Guest's unbeaten knock has given Derbyshire a fighting chance in the match, but they will need to continue their resistance on the third day if they are to avoid defeat.

Tags: #VitalityCountyChampionship, #DivisionTwo, #Derbyshire, #Northamptonshire, #BrookeGuest