THERE were times yesterday when the wheels appeared to have come off the Derbyshire bandwagon, but Graeme Welch’s rejuvenated side staged a remarkable comeback to maintain their unbeaten record in county competitions.

The visiting team made a breakneck start, Steve Stubbings and Michael Di Venuto clubbing 40 off the first four overs, but Stubbings departed in the fifth after dabbing a short ball straight down third man’s throat. The innings never regained that early momentum, as excellent spin bowling from Alex Loudon, who did not concede a boundary, and Jim Troughton put a choke hold on the Derbyshire batting. Welch slog-swept a six off Troughton to bring up his fifty, but was caught and bowled next ball; Travis Birt hit a straight six on his way to 61 before being caught behind.

A total of 206 ought not to have proved too troublesome for Warwickshire’s batting-heavy line-up, and they appeared comfortable at 52 for one with Nick Knight and Ian Bell looking in no real trouble. A single in the seventh over saw Knight become the third player to make 8,000 runs in limited-overs cricket for Warwickshire, and he looked in imperious touch. But he swiped at a wide ball from Steffan Jones, departing for 28 and precipitating Warwickshire’s downfall.

Jones’s slingy action caused problems all afternoon, and he tilted the match Derbyshire’s way in the 45th over, when he bowled Dougie Brown and Michael Powell with consecutive balls, sending Derbyshire’s travelling support — the seven-strong Chesterfield Barmy Army — into raptures.

Bell made 78, his best in this competition, but spooned a ball from Mo Sheikh to Jones at short fine leg and Warwickshire’s chances of victory departed with him.