DERBYSHIRE V SACA MATCH REPORT (14-16 Sept 2026)
RESULT: DERBYSHIRE WON BY ONE WICKET
SACA’s Men’s side were in red-ball action again this week, as they took on Derbyshire in what was the Academy’s final match of the 2026 season - and it proved to be a thriller!
The three-day game, taking place at Chesterfield Cricket Club, began on Monday, with the hosts’ skipper, Zac Chappell, winning the toss and asking SACA to bat first.
SACA openers Haaris Usman and Rahul Tangirala got off to a patient and steady start, adding 54 for the opening partnership before Usman was out for 31, bowled by one that kept low.
Tangirala fell next, 9 short of a half-century, out for 41, having added 57 for the second wicket with Cyrus Shafi, with the SACA score on 111 for 2.
Shafi went on to bring up a well-deserved half century, and with Ajay Khunti had added 82 for the third wicket before he was trapped lbw to off-spinner Hawkins for 68, with SACA on 198 for 3.
Hawkins was getting good turn and bounce and was a constant threat, as he accounted for Khunti (37), Aum Patel (7) and Omar Akram (0) to reduce SACA to 207 for 6.
A 60 runs seventh wicket partnership between Hishaam Khan and Shareeq Sheikh then added some much needed runs to the SACA total, before Hawkins’ return to the attack brought more reward for the home side, as he picked up the wickets of Sheikh (37), Herath (1) and Khan (24) in just four overs, reducing SACA to 278 for 9, with seven wickets now to the off-spinners’ name!
Eesa Nadeem was the final wicket to fall, out to McHale for a single, with SACA all out for 279, with an hour’s play still remaining on the opening day.
Derbyshire had a tricky sixteen overs to navigate at the end of the day, and SACA’s bowlers wasted no time in getting stuck into the host’s top order.
First Nadeem struck with the score on 13, then Jas Singh, on 38, and then Khan, to reduce Derbyshire to 58 for 3 at the close, with the county side trailing SACA by 221 runs.
The morning session of day two moved at pace, with SACA’s bowling attack on fire, as the hosts were dismissed for 141, in less than 36 overs, to trail SACA by 138 runs at the halfway stage, with Sheikh picking up fine figures of 5 for 10 from six overs, four of which were maidens.
SACA’s second innings began with the early loss of Usman, out for 4 to Stewart, before the seamer then accounted for both Rishan Herath (7) and Shafi (21), as SACA fell to 37 for 3, with their lead extended to 175.
The game was still developing quickly, and gave no indication of slowing down, as Patel was next to go, for 7, followed by Akram for 15, with SACA on 57 for 5 having moved the lead along to 197.
Khunti and Sheikh dug deep and found the partnership SACA needed, adding 89 for the sixth wicket, taking the score to 146 for 6, before Khunti fell of 43, only to be followed by Tangirala for 2 and Khan for 10, with the lead now sat at 301 and the score on 163 for 8.
Singh was undone by a brilliant inswinger from Rogers, out for 1, and Sheikh was run out for 48, leaving SACA all out for 167, setting Derbyshire a target of 306 for victory.
With 24 overs of day two remaining, SACA were hunting Derbyshire wickets, and they put themselves in a strong position in the game by picking up three of them before stumps were drawn, with Khan, Nadeem and Sheikh getting one apiece, to send Derbyshire in overnight on 58 for 3, still trailing by 247 runs.
An early breakthrough for Singh on the third and final day reduced Derbyshire to 64 for 4, with Sheikh then getting in on the action again, taking two further wickets before the lunch interval, as Derbyshire went into the break on 180 for 6, needing a further 126 runs to win.
The game was in the balance, with SACA needing wickets and Derbyshire needing runs, and it was a seventh wicket partnership of 85 and an eighth wicket partnership of 68 that swung the game the hosts' way!
The seventh wicket partnership was broken with Derbyshire on 227, as Wagstaff was dismissed by Patel for a crucial knock of 105, and the eighth wicket came with the score on 295, with Blount run out by Khunti.
With Derbyshire needed just 11 to win, eight wickets down, a nervy finish was on the cards, and even more so when Akram struck dismissed Brown for a fine knock of 87, with the score on 301 – with Derbyshire still needing 4 runs to win, and SACA just one wicket.
Derbyshire got over the line, just, as Green edged Sheikh through the slips to secure the winning runs and see his side to a one-wicket victory!
It was a thrilling end to another season for SACA, although it was a game that SACA had been the dominant side in for large parts of the match and one that they will be kicking themselves for not winning.
SACA PERFORMANCES VS DERBYSHIRE
Batting
Cyrus Shafi 68 (98)
Shareeq Sheikh 48 (69)
Ajay Khunti 43 (58)
Rahul Tangirala 41 (90)
Bowling
Shareeq Sheikh 6-4-10-5
Shareeq Sheikh 21.5-4-63-3
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