DESPITE a century stand between Wayne Madsen and Gareth Cross, Derbyshire were left with too much to do and lost by 27 runs to Nottinghamshire in their NatWest t20 Blast game at Trent Bridge.
Madsen made 65 and Cross 54 in their fourth-wicket stand but the Falcons could only finish with 179-7 in their reply to the Outlaws' huge 206-5, built on 95 not out from the red-hot Riki Wessels.
In the week he was awarded his county cap, Wessels has hit his side to a Championship victory and carried them to their highest-ever t20 score the previous night at Leicester – 220-4.
Notts could not quite match that score against the Falcons but they set a very stiff target, with Wessels making his 95 not out off 51 balls with 10 fours and four sixes.
Derbyshire broke through in the third over when Phil Jaques, in for the injured Michael Lumb, played on to Mark Footitt for 11 at 16-1.
Alex Hales hit Chesney Hughes for a big straight six but miscued the next ball to long off and went for 23 at 68-2, then Samit Patel also picked out Tony Palladino in the same fielding position off Marcus North and went for seven at 93-3 just past the midway stage.
James Taylor was caught at deep cover for 29 to end the 18th over, then Chris Read was bowled by Mark Turner for two. Wessels faced only one ball of the last 13 but Steven Mullaney provided consolation with 24 not out off nine balls.
Derbyshire were 20-0 after two overs of their reply but then Chesney Hughes and Stephen Moore for in a mess over a quick single and Moore was run out for 13.
Hughes played on to Luke Fletcher for 17 at 40-2 in the sixth and Marcus North was caught at long on for six to make it 57-3 in the ninth.
That was the start of an excellent stand of 103 in 53 balls between Cross and Madsen which kept their side in with some sort of chance until the partnership was broken at 160-4 in the 18th over when Cross was caught at extra cover.
His runs came off 38 balls with five fours and a six and Madsen followed in the next over, having equalled the new career-best he set the previous week with 65 off 36 balls with eight fours and two sixes.
