Rutherford stars as Lancs blown away

The team with the worst record in the history of English Twenty20 beat the team with the best as Derbyshire upset defending NatWest Blast champions Lancashire at Old Trafford.

The Falcons swooped on a nine-wicket win with 32 balls to spare, chasing down 132 in this 19-over contest following an impressive bowling and fielding display, which included two wickets for overseas debutant Jimmy Neesham.

Liam Livingstone and Arron Lilley were both run out going for two late in Lancashire's modest 131 for 7 after rain delayed the start by 75 minutes.

Neesham's fellow New Zealander Hamish Rutherford then led the chase with a blistering unbeaten 71 off 40 balls with six fours and three sixes.

Prior to this North Group opener, Derbyshire had only won a total of 39 matches in 13 seasons compared to Lancashire's 84.

Lancashire included former captain Tom Smith in their line-up following 13 months away from first-team action with a career threatening back injury and more recent hamstring problems. But, after two fours in his nine off eight balls, he chipped Neesham's seamers to mid-on as the innings struggled for momentum against some excellent pace off the ball bowling.

Neesham later trapped home captain Steven Croft lbw for a top-score of 31, while Livingstone was the only other batsman to pass 20 after Derbyshire elected to field first.

Neesham finished with 2 for 38 from his four overs added to wickets for Shiv Thakor, Andy Carter and Alex Hughes.

Although going wicketless, Preston-born leg-spinner Matt Critchley was excellent through the middle of the innings in only conceding 19 runs from his four overs. Lancashire failed to score a boundary from the fourth ball of the fifth over to the fourth ball of the 13th.

Captain Wes Durston got Derbyshire's chase off to a flyer with four fours and a six over wide long-on off Neil Wagner in the first two overs.

The hosts also lost Gavin Griffiths to a finger injury after bowling just one ball - sustained whilst trying to take a sharp return catch from Rutherford's bat at the start of the third over when he was on 1.

Durston was the only wicket to fall, early in the fourth when he skied George Edwards to mid-off, but he had scored 30 out of 38 by then.

Rutherford continued the assault to take his side beyond 50 in the fifth over before hoisting Edwards over long-on for six in the next. The left-hander hit two more sixes over long-on in the eighth and ninth overs, off Stephen Parry and Lilley, on the way to a 24-ball fifty.

Rutherford was well supported by another of Derbyshire's Kiwi contingent, Neil Broom, as they shared an unbroken 94 inside eleven overs for the second wicket.