Daryl Mitchell claimed his 100th T20 wicket for Worcestershire Rapids, who got back on the winning trail with a 14 run success over Derbyshire Falcons at the Incora County Ground.
The all-rounder became the first Rapids player to reach the milestone when he dismissed Leus du Plooy in his second over.
The Rapids totalled 167-5 thanks mainly to contributions from Brett D’Oliveira, Ross Whiteley and captain Ben Cox.
They then fought back splendidly with the ball, with Mitchell, Ish Sodhi and D’Oliveira establishing a stranglehold over the Falcons during the middle part of their innings with pace off the ball.
The Rapids were able to secure a fifth win of the campaign and keep themselves firmly in contention for a top-four spot with three games remaining as Derbyshire closed on 153-8.
The Rapids were unchanged, and Cox opted to bat at a sunlit Incora County Ground.
Rapids openers Riki Wessels and D’Oliveira put on 32 in untroubled fashion.
Wessels managed three boundaries in his 17 but then lofted on loan Derbyshire seam bowler Jade Dernbach into the hands of Luis Reece at mid-on.
Jake Libby on two survived a chance off Logan van Beek with Dernbach, running back to long-on, unable to hold onto the opportunity.
D’Oliveira collected two fours in the same over, and the 50 came up in the final over of the powerplay.
Libby (12) was unluckily run out at the non-striker’s end when bowler Matt Critchley deflected D’Oliveira’s straight drive onto the stumps.
Cox joined D’Oliveira, and the pair scored freely in adding 37.
Former Worcestershire paceman, George Scrimshaw, was cut for four by D’Oliveira, and Cox took advantage of a full toss from Luis Reece, which he drove to the boundary.
The Rapids laid a solid base in reaching 84-2 by the halfway stage of their innings.
But D’Oliveira, after again looking in good touch after his half-centuries against Durham and Leicestershire Foxes, was dismissed for 43 after picking out Reece at cover off Critchley.
He struck six fours in his 33 ball knock.
Whiteley hit the first six of the innings straight back down the ground off Mattie McKiernan in the 15th over and pulled successive deliveries from van Beek for boundaries.
He made 37 off 21 balls but was caught at deep mid-wicket off the final ball of Critchley’s spell.
Dernbach returned to the attack, and Cox (30) fell to a low catch by Scrimshaw at fine leg.
Ben Dwarshuis (2) was caught and bowled off a skier by Dernbach but some late blows by Ed Barnard – 15 not out off 12 balls – lifted the total to 167-6.
Falcons openers Reece and Harry Came put on 57, but the last ball of the six-over powerplay by Charlie Morris bowled the latter for 21.
Spinner Ish Sodhi came into the attack and, in his second over, Reece (39) attempted a ramp shot and was lbw.
Then came Mitchell’s special moment as Leus du Plooy went for a reverse sweep and nicked through to keeper Cox at 75-3 in the 10thover.
The combined bowling of Sodhi, Mitchell and D’Oliveira slowed the scoring rate to such an extent that only 43 runs came from the first eight overs after the powerplay.
The Falcons needed 64 from the final five overs.
Barnard came back into the attack and accounted for Critchley (20) as he found the safe hands of Whiteley at wide long-on.
Hudson-Prentice (4) fell in a similar fashion with Barnard this time holding onto the chance off the returning Dwarshuis.
Tom Wood kept the Falcons in contention with a series of boundaries.
But Morris sent back Mattie McKiernan (5), and Brooke Guest (0) in the space of three balls before Wood (46) was run out in the final over from Dwarshuis.
