SAVING face was about as much as Derbyshire could do with the bat after Lancashire left them with a mountain to climb in the NatWest t20 Blast on Friday night at Old Trafford.
Lightning's 225-7 was the highest score any county has ever made against Derbyshire in this competition and the highest they have made at home.
It clinched Lancashire a home quarter-final.
In fact, only 10 times has that score been bettered in the 12 years of t20 county cricket by anyone.
That is some act to follow and though the Falcons responded with 190-7, only three short of their best this season, they still fell 35 runs short.
At least they went down fighting.
And at least there is only one more t20 match left for them this season. This was the Falcons' 11th defeat out of 13.
Derbyshire might have thought they had dodged a bullet when Tom Smith was caught at deep square leg off the last ball of the second over but they ran into a hail of gunfire instead.
Smith had scored all 13 of Lancashire's runs at the time he was dismissed but it was opening partner Ashwell Prince who caused the greater damage, equalling the Lancashire record for the fastest t20 half-century set earlier this season by both Smith and Jos Buttler.
He made it in 22 balls with a fourth six, over midwicket, to go with five fours but, thankfully for the Falcons, the South African went shortly after for 56, caught at deep midwicket off Marcus North.
That was 102-2, one ball short of the midway stage, and it was clear that Derbyshire were going to be chasing a big one. Karl Brown and Buttler made it a massive one.
They added 54 in 27 balls for the third wicket before Brown was also caught at deep midwicket for 58, off 34 balls with four fours and three sixes, at 158-3 in the 15th over.
Superb fielding by Wayne Madsen to run out Steven Croft made it two wickets in the over but Buttler added 39 off 23 balls, with four fours and a six, before he became Ben Cotton's first t20 victim, caught at deep cover at 181-5.
Two wickets in the 18th for Mark Turner stalled Lancashire but only slightly. Paul Horton (24 not out) and Jordan Clark (17 not out) plundered 35 more off the last 13 balls to turn the screw.
Turner took 3-51 from his four overs and Cotton's four brought him 1-49. Welcome to the big time, young man.
How do you follow that? It would have been easy and – let's face it this season – not out of character for Derbyshire to have swung the bat at everything and fallen in an ugly heap but, to their credit, they didn't.
Wes Durston is hitting the ball sweetly right now and had two fours and three sixes in a 20-ball 30, Gareth Cross struck two fours and a six in his 17 before his return to Old Trafford ended with him being sent back and run out.
Marcus North's 40 came off 30 balls with three fours and a six and, at the end of the 10th over, Derbyshire were not entirely out of it at 97-2.
But it was still asking an awful lot and called for an awful many risks to be taken.
Billy Godleman was lbw swinging across the line for 10, Madsen was caught on the deep midwicket rope for 45 off 25 balls with four fours and a six and, at 156-5 with four overs to go, we were into miracle required territory – 70 off 24 balls.
It didn't come.
Lightning's 225-7 was the highest score any county has ever made against Derbyshire in this competition and the highest they have made at home.
It clinched Lancashire a home quarter-final.
In fact, only 10 times has that score been bettered in the 12 years of t20 county cricket by anyone.
That is some act to follow and though the Falcons responded with 190-7, only three short of their best this season, they still fell 35 runs short.
At least they went down fighting.
And at least there is only one more t20 match left for them this season. This was the Falcons' 11th defeat out of 13.
Derbyshire might have thought they had dodged a bullet when Tom Smith was caught at deep square leg off the last ball of the second over but they ran into a hail of gunfire instead.
Smith had scored all 13 of Lancashire's runs at the time he was dismissed but it was opening partner Ashwell Prince who caused the greater damage, equalling the Lancashire record for the fastest t20 half-century set earlier this season by both Smith and Jos Buttler.
He made it in 22 balls with a fourth six, over midwicket, to go with five fours but, thankfully for the Falcons, the South African went shortly after for 56, caught at deep midwicket off Marcus North.
That was 102-2, one ball short of the midway stage, and it was clear that Derbyshire were going to be chasing a big one. Karl Brown and Buttler made it a massive one.
They added 54 in 27 balls for the third wicket before Brown was also caught at deep midwicket for 58, off 34 balls with four fours and three sixes, at 158-3 in the 15th over.
Superb fielding by Wayne Madsen to run out Steven Croft made it two wickets in the over but Buttler added 39 off 23 balls, with four fours and a six, before he became Ben Cotton's first t20 victim, caught at deep cover at 181-5.
Two wickets in the 18th for Mark Turner stalled Lancashire but only slightly. Paul Horton (24 not out) and Jordan Clark (17 not out) plundered 35 more off the last 13 balls to turn the screw.
Turner took 3-51 from his four overs and Cotton's four brought him 1-49. Welcome to the big time, young man.
How do you follow that? It would have been easy and – let's face it this season – not out of character for Derbyshire to have swung the bat at everything and fallen in an ugly heap but, to their credit, they didn't.
Wes Durston is hitting the ball sweetly right now and had two fours and three sixes in a 20-ball 30, Gareth Cross struck two fours and a six in his 17 before his return to Old Trafford ended with him being sent back and run out.
Marcus North's 40 came off 30 balls with three fours and a six and, at the end of the 10th over, Derbyshire were not entirely out of it at 97-2.
But it was still asking an awful lot and called for an awful many risks to be taken.
Billy Godleman was lbw swinging across the line for 10, Madsen was caught on the deep midwicket rope for 45 off 25 balls with four fours and a six and, at 156-5 with four overs to go, we were into miracle required territory – 70 off 24 balls.
It didn't come.
