Worcestershire CCC will be heading back to England to continue their pre-season preparations after going down to Derbyshire by seven wickets in a 50 over match on the final day of their tour of Abu Dhabi.
The County were able to enjoy a fourth successive day of pre-season practice after the bad weather which affected the first half of the tour.
New vice-captain Joe Leach was given an outing as skipper while Joe Clarke took over behind the stumps from Ben Cox who played as a batsman.
Leach won the toss and decided to bat and top-scored with 38 from 52 balls with one six and two fours as Worcestershire were dismissed for 183 in 45 overs.
Alexei Kervezee with a run a ball 37 containing six fours was the other main run-getter for the County who had played Essex in a T20 match and Warwickshire in a two-day red ball cricket encounter over the previous three days.
Openers Daryl Mitchell and Tom Kohler-Cadmore fell for nine and 10 respectively to Andy Carter and Tom Taylor in the Sheikh Zayed Stadium.
Other batsmen to have a knock included Ross Whiteley (10), Clarke (17) and George Rhodes (10). Shiv Thakor and Alex Hughes took two wickets apiece during the middle overs.
Nineteen-year-old leg spinner Matt Critchley took the last four wickets to fall and finished with 4-42 from 10 overs.
First year professional Josh Tongue took the new ball for Worcestershire and quickly clean bowled Ben Slater for six.
Spinner Rhodes also sent back Wes Durston for 42 and Wayne Madsen for 17, caught attempting a reverse sweep.
But an unbeaten 90 from 82 balls by Chesney Hughes – with two sixes and 11 fours – saw Derbyshire to victory with 18 overs to spare.
Rhodes finished with 2-28 from six overs.
——————————————————————————————————
WORCESTERSHIRE – innings
Kohler-Cadmore b Taylor 10
Mitchell lbw Carter 9
Kervezee c Slater b Thakor 37
Cox b A Hughes 17
Whiteley b Thakor 10
Clarke st Poynton b A Hughes 17
Leach c CHughes b Critchley 38
Rhodes c Cork b Critchley 11
Hepburn lbw Critchley 14
Tongue c C Hughes b Critchley 3
Russell not out 1
Extras 16
Total (all out) 183 in 44 overs
FOW: 18, 32, 72, 94, 94, 123, 142, 163, 182, 183
BOWLING
Carter 10-1-38-1
Taylor 7-0-45-1
Thakor 8-0-26-2
Critchley 10-1-42-4
A Hughes 8-1-25-2
Cork 1-0-1-0
————————————————————————————————————
DERBYSHIRE – innings
Slater b Tongue 6
Durston c and b Rhodes 42
C Hughes not out 90
Madsen c Russell b Rhodes 17
A Hughes not out 21
Extras 10
Total (for 3 wickets) 186 in 31 overs
FOW: 18, 96, 138
BOWLING
Leach 6-0-42-0
Tongue 7-0-37-1
Kervezee 4-0-28-0
Hepburn 2-0-15-0
Mitchell 2-0-11-0
Russell 4-0-19-0
Rhodes 6-0-28-2
